Sick

I have been sick the past couple weeks with an illness called chikungunya. You can Wikipedia it. I had never heard of it either, but it's a virus that is spread by mosquitos... similar to dengue fever, but no rash. Instead it attacks your joints and totally wipes you out of any semblance of energy to live, breathe, get out of bed.... After a week of intense pain (think labor - no exaggeration - I've gone through it 3 times with no epidurals) I'm now "better" but I have very little energy. They say it can take a couple MONTHS to feel "normal" again.

Trouble is Brant is now sick. I'll spare you the gory details, but he got an amoeba, which does a nasty number on your digestive track. So we're both kinda out of it and the poor little boys just kinda run and play around us as we lie around sick.

So, I'm killing time til it's late enough to go to bed at a respectable hour. :) Thought I'd add a couple pics from life of late.

Elijah is growing up so fast. He'll be 5 next month... when did he turn into a little boy with a personality of his own? He likes to "help" with Ezra....

Elijah in his "boat" listening to his iPod... yes, I know a bit extravagant for a 4 year old to have (it's one of the small cheap ones) ...but it has saved us a boatload in not having to haul his 50 million kids' CDs around the planet. :) Plus he sits for hours totally still and quiet listening to "his" music.

Caleb

Do I need to say more?

Caleb as "Jesus"

Caleb is our ham. Not sure where he gets it from because neither Brant nor I are real "life-of-the-party" type people. But at almost 3, he keeps us laughing... most of the day. Among his best one liners...

"I can't like it" (with a very scrunched up little face) regarding any food remotely spicy, green and vegetable looking, or new.

"I squishing. I squishing." Sitting on the couch reading books with Brant and Elijah.

"I Jesus" Wish a blanket wrapped around his head.

"I like move it. I like move it. I like move it." That's him singing along to Madagascar - complete with motions.

"Hallalu... hallalu... hallalu..." Many mornings we wake up to hear him "singing" in his bed.

Food and boys

Tonight at the dinner table I looked around and realized I was the only one wearing a shirt at the table. The heat today was unbearable, compounded by the fact the electricity was off all day and our generator won't run our AC. So at dinner, even little fat Ezra was sitting in his eating chair with no shirt on. I kinda felt out of place. :) (And as I was sweating, a tad bit jealous!)

So, we finally got Ezra to eat! Unlike the older two boys, Ezra has not really taken to eating solid food. We have tried bananas, rice cereal, you name it for the past two weeks, and it just comes right back out. The baby book says he lacks "oral motor skills." But apparently being in a cooler climate helped him - while we were at our regional conference in the mountains last week, he inhaled most of a sweet potato from a traditional feast the neighboring tribal people held for us. I was a tad nervous that the first food he actually ate could potentially give him some horrible parasite or hepatitis or something like that (not really, it was cooked) but he loved it and since has really enjoyed eating - pulling the spoon towards his mouth if we don't shovel it in fast enough.

Today I fed him some of this new fruit we brought back from the mountains - a type of passionfruit that looks like a blend of pomegranate (millions of little seeds with fruit around it) and snot (think the color and texture) Despite the appearance, it tastes really good and Ezra loved it. We'll see what the diaper looks like tomorrow...