Emily's Musings » 2008

Passing of Our Prophet January 31, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Church , add a comment

Early Monday morning, David and I learned of the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley. The news was bittersweet to us. He is now reunited with his sweet wife who passed away almost four years ago. At the age of 97, he was the oldest prophet since the restoration of the Church, as well as the most traveled. We will miss him, but look forward as President Thomas S. Monson will likely become the next President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

At the age of 18, I had the opportunity to meet President Hinckley. That marks the only time in my life that I had the chance to see him in person and shake his hand. I was in the “Days of 47′ Royalty” and I was at “This is the Place State Park” in Utah at an appearance for the 24th of July (Pioneer Day) celebration. What a surprise it was to all of us and all park goers to have the President and his counselors show up! We had a wonderful dinner with them later that day at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.

He was such a faithful servant of Christ and led millions to Him. Our prayers are with his family.

Wicked Fast January 31, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Family, Islands , 1 comment so far

I turned the big 3-0 on Tuesday. We were awakened by a beautiful sunrise boasting an exceptionally clear day. We could actually see the island of Montserrat, an island four down from Saba. In the two years we have enjoyed our beautiful island/ocean view, we have never been able to see Montserrat with our naked eye. Too bad our camera was out of batteries. We didn’t exactly capture what we saw, but I’ll post the picture we took anyway.

The weather was beautiful, 80 degrees with a light breeze (which is the weather everyday). However, by Tuesday evening, the temperature dropped to an icy 73 degrees and we were COLD! I called the restaurant where we had dinner plans, and asked them to change our order to take out. Most restaurants are open to the elements and we were not about to sit out in the FREEZING COLD CARIBBEAN WEATHER. We enjoyed our BBQ Chicken and Ribs from the warmth of our kitchen.

My gift this year did not disappoint. My computer is now the proud owner of four gigs of RAM. It is WICKED fast. It works as fast as I think, which is faster than I talk, so you get the point. I look forward to having fast internet in the states. Saba’s internet is dial up, which is enough to make anyone crazy.

Our House: The Vomit Comet January 30, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Family, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah , 1 comment so far

YUCK. Our house has been just YUCK. Hannah got sick . . . the barf kind of sick, and she so thoughtfully shared her sickness with us. David and I both got sick on the same night, and since the little one was still sick, we all bonded by BARFING together. Yes, nothing brings a family closer together than a big barf session. David was forced to take two days off from school, which was not ideal. Hey, when you use sick days, do you really want to be sick when you use them? It was quite the challenge to have the whole family sick, especially for a few days. David and I had the flu, and Hannah had her own special sickness where she didn’t have a fever, she just randomly, sporadically, and completely unannounced, BARFED. Without warning. Anywhere. Everywhere. Even in the throws of my yuckiness, I still felt so bad for Hanza. Often times, she would wake up to the lovely stench and cold yuckines of puke on her face since her body gave her no warning to “WAKE UP! STAND UP AND PUKE OUTSIDE THE CRIB! YOU DON’T WANT THIS ALL OVER YOU!” No, we were not that lucky. After 25 loads of washing sheets and clothes during one week, my washer has certainly earned its keep.

Now the question is HOW did we all get sick? Well, I honestly don’t know since I am “one of those people” who disinfects and sterilizes everything in my house, and everything we touch (or think we might touch). I am “one of those people” who re-washes lent out dishes upon return. How can you be sure they are clean? REALLY clean? What if the dish picked up some nasty germ in the air on the way to being returned? You must consider all these questions, and then you can never be too sure. Unless of course, my sister Jenn returns a dish to you. You can rest assured that it was steam cleaned on your front porch while waiting for you to open the door. She is the ONLY exception to this rule. “Inspect” what you “Expect”, right?

Well, I know how we all got sick.

I decided to take Hanza to the island doctor after she had been barfing for six days. I know this sounds crazy, like I must be some negligent mother who waited SIX WHOLE days to take my kid to the doc, but let’s just remember that I live with a man who is a Medical Student. And no, he is not the expert on everything, but he does do rotations here at the hospital (which doubles as a doctor’s office/first aid station) and he knew there was nothing they could do for her. Plus, everyday, she seemed to be getting better, and we would let out a sigh of relief, and just as we would would run out of breath from sighing, we would hear Hannah puking all over her quiet sleeping self. What a nightmare.

I felt like I should go to the hospital, just to do the right thing, even though I knew they couldn’t do anything for her. As I’m waiting in line at the hospital (yes, first come first serve, no special treatments for barfing in the waiting room) I am literally freaking out at the possible invisible germs, EVERYWHERE! Wishing I had an invisible bubble around Hannah and me, I approached the head nurse and asked how long the wait was going to be. She estimated a couple hours. HELLO! A COUPLE HOURS? With a kid that pukes, anytime, anywhere, a couple hours equals ETERNITY!

I decided to run some errands, which took me to a grocery store that I rarely go to. When Hannah and I walked in, she greeted everyone like she was the Grand Marshall in a parade. Well, you can can imagine what happened next. Store clerks I don’t know and a few customers I do know, came to greet Hannah. She is quite happy with all the attention she seems to attract everywhere she goes, and this was no exception. She waved to everyone and talked about her shoes. I actually forgot she was sick and we were virtually “waiting in line” at the hospital. One of the store employees, WHO I DON’T KNOW, ran up to Hannah and gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek, just missing her mouth! I know how irresistible her cheeks are, and her personality is so enticing, I understand the draw to kiss her, but YOU DO NOT KISS COMPLETE STRANGER’S CHILDREN! This is how she got sick. I know it. Obviously not from this employee, but from many other very “hands on ” onlookers who are smitten with Hannah’s good looks and darling personality. Please, I know the urge to kiss my child, just don’t! From now on, when someone gets too close to Hannah (especially when they are going in for a kiss) I will warn them by saying, “She’s SICK! You don’t want to kiss her.” This is the only way to protect my child from the crazies!

Fortunately, this is were it pays to know people. The head nurse really likes my husband (probably because he is such a handsome and nice guy) so she put my name down on the list and when I returned to the hospital, I was able to waltz on in and see the doc. The doc had no idea what was wrong. She had a virus, and it had to run its course. Thank you doc, for allowing me to PAY you to tell me what my husband told me. Nothing like throwing money out the window, right? Well, I do need to note that health care down here is extremely cheap. Hannah’s visit to the doc, (which was a visit for me too since I got to listen to the baby’s heartbeat again) plus some drugs for Hannah, cost a whopping $23. Yes, you read that right, $23 bucks for the entire visit. You get what you pay for right?

A happy Hannah playing while she is sick.

Still Happy . . .

Um . . . Not so happy. This is right before she barfs . . .

In a rare expression that Hannah does know how to make: SADNESS. Sickness will get to you every time.

His Language January 18, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Family, Friends, Islands, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah, Projects , 1 comment so far

Something is wrong with me. Really, really, wrong. My birthday is in a couple of weeks and do you know what I asked for? RAM. Not like, “honey, I want a pet Ram for my big 3-0″, but as in RAM for my computer. What happened to me? I’m not sure I even knew what RAM was last year. On previous birthdays, I have always gotten great clothes, and designer hand bags and shoes. What happened to those days?

I MOVED FROM CIVILIZATION. That’s what happened.

I honestly don’t care what I wear here. Shoes are a bother, and the only classification your handbag needs is, “Does it grow mold easily?” Notice how the word “here” is emphasized. That is because I know when I return to civilization, were clothing is available to buy and people don’t wear shoes just to cover their feet, I will dig deep inside of me and find the “old Emily” I left behind in Texas. I’m sure returning to my wardrobe locked away in storage will help me find that girl. But until then, I still want some RAM. In fact, a lot of it would help.

I can’t believe I care about techie things so much. I know it’s because I have come to LOVE my computer like it’s my second child. It is my umbilical cord to the outside world. It does everything I need it to, and so much more. There is only one problem. It is so s-l-o-w. I get frustrated waiting to upload pictures. It honestly takes five minutes to start Windows Photoshop Elements, and that isn’t even editing photos! I don’t like wasting perfectly good paradise weather w-a-i-t-i-n-g for things to load. I would do so much more with photographs if it didn’t take Hannah’s entire nap to get things going.

I actually really, really, REALLY, want a Nikon D80 for my birthday. I know that won’t happen this year because let’s face it, we are medical school students living on an island out in the middle of nowhere. I want this camera so bad, I honestly can’t stop thinking about it sometimes. It’s just seems kind of illogical to purchase it now. We would have to sell our Saba car to pay for this camera and seriously, I need a car more than I need to photograph everything I see. The desire for this particular camera is not just mine. David really, really, REALLY wants a Nikon D80 as well. One day, we will get one, and when we do, all of you will be drooling over how great our pictures are and we will just say, “it’s all about the camera.” Ah, one day. One day, I will have the most amazing pictures of my kids, BECAUSE OF THIS CAMERA.

Here’s another thing while I’m thinking about it, I would really like a Cricut and a Kitchen Aid Mixer when I get back to the states. I never was much of a chef in the states, but living here I have really come to appreciate good food and I really enjoy cooking. I know when my appetite returns, I will want to cook everything in the house. I may as well have good appliances right? I heard about “the Cricut” for the first time on Sunday from a GUY in our Branch. Yes, a GUY told me. He had that look on his face like “Where are you from? Planet Saba? You should probably get off that planet and get back the real world. There is this thing called Scrapbooking. Have you heard of it?” Yes, he gave me that look. Wouldn’t you know, a few days later I saw an infomercial on Lifetime for the Cricut. I have to say, it can do some pretty cool things. And in true infomercial fashion, I watched thinking, “I have to have that!” Plus, a friend of mine in Orem was in the commercial. David and I were laughing so hard! I need to email her to let her know she is famous, all the way down here, in the middle of nowhere. More of a reason to get it right? If she has one and LOVES it, I know I would too! We’re friends! I know the same day my appetite returns and I cook everything in the house, I will also be nesting. I will want to make cute things for Hannah’s room and for the new baby. I can see it now, CUTE THINGS!

As the big 3-0 looms around the corner, I’ll let you know what I ended up with. I’m 99.9% positive I have RAM coming my way. Mostly because that is the first thing I asked for, and it is the most reasonable and cost effective thing to buy. Plus, my husband follows instructions really well when it comes to buying me technology. This is after all, his language.

You Can’t Beat Service Like This January 14, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Princess Hannah , add a comment

Hannah is sick. Paris is sick. And since I am usually sick everyday, this makes one sick household. This is Hannah’s first experience being sick. We are very grateful she has been so healthy for 18 months, especially on this island that is lacking good medical care. Our little one has all the symptoms of the flu, except she doesn’t have a fever and this nasty bug has lasted more than 24 hours.

This morning we needed Pedialyte in a serious way. Not wanting to take the chance of Hannah puking all over herself and her car seat while driving to the store to pick some up, I was stuck with a small problem. I called one of the four grocery stores, and talked to the store owner. This is what happened:

“Hi, is this Addie?”

“Yes”

“Hi, this is Emily, Hannah’s mom (because she only knows me this way; I am the invisible mom). She is really sick and needs some Pedialyte. I don’t want to drive down there and chance her vomiting all over in the car, so could you put two liters of the fruit flavored Pedialyte on my account? I will have a friend pick it up and deliver it to my house.”

“Sure! On, I’m so sorry Hannah is sick. Get her feeling better.”

Thirty minutes later, I have two liters of Pedialyte delivered to my house. I will miss the personal touch Saba offers. I guarantee when I get back to the states I won’t be calling the owner of the local grocery store and asking them to pull items off the shelf, add the amount to my account, and allow a stranger (this friend is new to the island) to walk out of the store with the unpaid for items. This island offers a personal touch that I know I won’t find anywhere else.

Christmas in January! January 10, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Christmas, Friends, My Handsome Husband, Pregnancy, Princess Hannah , 1 comment so far

Three days and counting. I have felt GOOD for three whole days now! I hope this is the beginning of something new, something long-term. I can handle pregnancy, AND be a mom at the same time when I feel like this. Yesterday was not only a good day because I felt good, but the weather was beautiful. It was 80 degrees outside with a very light breeze. The other islands were so clear you could see cruise ships docked. The water was so calm, it looked like wedding cake frosting. Yum . . . And to top off the great day, we got Christmas packages! These packages were sent way back in November, but with the “speedy Caribbean Mail system”, we didn’t receive them until yesterday. And can I just say that ANY mail is exciting to get down here. Especially when we get boxes, with candy and presents and food! Yes, people care about us, it’s true. It’s a comforting thought.

My crazy friend Michelle sent us a box with LOTS of stuff. Mostly fun things for me, one thing for Hannah, and a couple of things (food things) for David. I know she likes me the most because she TOTALLY hooked me up. Oh, how I miss civilization, especially Bath & Body Works and other fine retailers. Hannah received a toy vacuum which she loves and has used constantly since it came out of its packaging 24 hours ago. Too bad it doesn’t really vacuum, I could use an extra set of hands around here.

One care package is very exciting, but two?! Yes, we got TWO yesterday! One of my best friends from childhood, Tricia, sent a gift to Hannah (a darling wall hanging with a doll made with Alpaca yarn. It’s so soft, it’s better than cashmere!) and one to me (sorry Dave, I’ll share my candy with you). She and her husband lived in Russia for a couple of years and she KNOWS what it is like to NOT HAVE ACCESS TO STUFF. She totally understands what it’s like to GO WITHOUT. She very thoughtfully put in some candy Whoopers, Nerds (which are not available here), and Skittles. And can I just say HOW excited I was to get Nerds? I totally forgot they existed, and when I saw them again, I couldn’t understand how I lived without them for so many years! I’m pretty sure the last time I ate them was at her house in 1994 from her old Halloween stash of candy that she rationed throughout the year. We were probably listening to Doug Stone and talking to our boyfriends on a CORDED phone. What a treat, seriously.

To top the day off, our lovely snowbird neighbors, the McCarty’s from Connecticut, are back for the next four months. Hannah, of course, received more gifts (which I think she is expecting from everyone now, just for being cute). One of the gifts was a Hello Kitty purse (just her size) with a UTAH quarter. Why is this special? Because when you don’t live in the United States, you kind of forget about things that other people are excited about. Both David and I had completely forgotten about the “new quarters” and every state getting their own signature design. I didn’t know Utah’s quarter had come out and we certainly had not seen it, so it was a thoughtful and fun surprise.

Although I don’t expect more “Christmas gifts” today, I am enjoying the left over “high” from yesterday’s surprises. I have been eating Nerds candy as I write this post and my happiness has increased by 100 percent as I savor the tiny, tangy, crunchy things. Yeah, they’re that good.

What This Pregnancy Has Taught Me January 9, 2008

Posted by Emily in : My Former Dog Children, My Handsome Husband, Pregnancy, Princess Hannah , 1 comment so far

What This Pregnancy Has Taught Me:

Ting (a Caribbean soda, tastes a lot like squirt) can keep morning sickness at bay.
The song “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie can also tame morning sickness.
My head makes a great seat for Hannah when I’m lying down like a sick beached whale on the cold floor.
My belly and head make great drums for Hannah.
Salt is not the same as rock salt. Ask any pregnant woman who craves ROCK SALT. Yes, it is true.
Any citrus fruit can be eaten all day long. In fact, I could probably live on grapefruit for the next seven months.
My “parts per million nose” can now smell Hannah’s stinky diapers, which don’t stink. I have addressed this before in another entry, Hannah’s diapers don’t stink. Ask anyone. However, this new nose of mine can just detect the slightest hint of a stink and that means “Finders Keepers” for me. Pee ewe!
My “parts per million nose” can also smell the lacquer on my kitchen cabinets. It’s not my favorite smell. This nose of mine can also smell my puppies’ paws from across the room (a smell I like) and the stinky dishes in the sink. It has gotten me out of dish duty when the smell (to me) is so strong, I need a “real man” to wash them to save me from the stench.
It is possible to sleep 10 hours a night and take a two hour nap during the day with Hannah. This baking a baby thing requires a lot of beauty rest!

Feeling Like a Normal Human January 8, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Family, My Former Dog Children, Pregnancy, Princess Hannah , add a comment

Today the air smells fresher, the sky has never looked so clear, Hannah has never been so happy, and really, neither have I. Today was a good day. I mean a really good day. The kind of day that I forgot I was pregnant because I didn’t have this nagging desire to fling myself into the bathroom and throw up all my innards. Yes, today was a “I feel like a normal human” day. Whenever I feel better after being sick (especially the kind of sick that lasts for months), I want to be productive. Let me rephrase, I want to be superhuman and accomplish a months worth of projects in one day because who knows when another “I feel like a normal human” day will come. Today was just that day. And let me just say that I feel very accomplished in the tasks I had set before me. Important things like: the dishes, talking to Jenn, making Hannah lunch, taking the dogs out, and cleaning and organizing my teeny tiny house. Very important things. Things that normal humans do. Ah, it feels good to FEEL good. Life is good.

What Makes Pregnancy Worth It January 7, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Family, My Handsome Husband, Pregnancy, Princess Hannah , 1 comment so far

Hannah goes to bed between 6:00 and 6:30 every night religiously. She absolutely cannot stay awake past 6:30 (we have tried), she just turns into a pumpkin. The other night I put her down at 6:15, wide awake like I always do. She usually falls asleep within minutes because we can hear her humming/singing to herself as she falls asleep over the monitor. This particular night, she made no noise, which led me to believe she had fallen asleep immediately. At 6:50, 35 minutes later, and WAY past her normal bedtime, I hear this over the monitor:

“Mommy? Mommy. Mommy? Moooommmmeeeeeey?”

David and I can’t help but smile and we both walk into her room to see her laying down flipped around in her crib with her smiling half moon eyes looking at us as we enter. She then says, “Hi mommy” with a big grin. While she is smiling, she stands up next to the crib railing to give me a squeeze (not a hug, there is a difference). My heart melted as she laid back down, grabbed her Pooh Bear and waved “night, night” to us. As we left with full hearts, David said, “How does it feel to be the center of her universe? She has ‘motheritis’ in a serious way!” I reminded him that if he was the mom, he would understand. She knows who’s body she tormented for nine months and nursed from for 12. I think she knows I’ve put a lot of hard work into her.

In two years form now, this little one that I am incubating will be 17 months old and I hope they call me into their bedroom just to give me another squeeze goodnight.! That makes this whole yucky pregnancy thing all worth it.

Hannah Fix January 7, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Princess Hannah , 1 comment so far

Posting has been light the past few weeks and several of you have expressed concern that Hannah is growing up and and I’m not documenting it! Well, for those of you who are in need of a “Hannah Fix”, these photos are for you.