Alexander in the Hospital

Since Alexander's birth it seems like we have been a plagued household. I've had three colds and pink eye, Isabella has had three colds, one stomach virus, pink eye and an ear infection, and Alexander has had one cold and now this cold that has turned into an infection in his lungs.

Already having one child, it seems normal when a child comes down with a fever and since Isabella has already reached the age where a fever over 39 C seems normal and warrants Ibuprofen and a two-day observation period before we go to the doctor, I've become a bit lax in that area. But when Alexander was on day two of a fever of 39+ that kept coming back when the Ibu wore off, I decided to call the doctor's office and ask at what point I should bring him in. The receptionist told me to go ahead and bring him in since he was still so young (12 weeks). So we all got packed back into our winter coats and hats, having only just taken them off 30 minutes before after having arrived home from the KiTa (daycare) and off we went. The doctor's office was packed so the receptionist gave us a urine bag to attach for sample collection and told us to come back in an hour. Since I had both children in tow and going home would have warranted undressing and dressing both of them again, I decided to call friends of ours and ask if they could keep Isabella for a few hours. She was thrilled to go play with her friend Amelie for a few hours so that was fine.

Alexander and I went back to the doctor's office and she checked his lungs and took a blood sample. Unfortunately, his blood test came back with an elevated white blood cell count and we were referred to the Kinderklinik (the children's hospital). The doctor said to not even go home and pack a bag for him. I was less than thrilled since Isabella was at a friend's house, it was 6 pm and Philipp was on day one of a 3-day trip to Frankfurt for university. So I called Philipp, apologized profusely and told him he had to come home to take care of Isabella; then I called our friends to ask them to keep Isabella fora few more hours. And off we went to the Kinderklinik. After waiting almost an hour to be admitted, having a central line laid in his head, more blood samples, x-rays taken, Philipp and Isabella arriving, we made it to our room and are on day 3 of our stay in the hospital.

Alexander has been great. He gets antibiotics every 8 hours or so and has a saline drip otherwise. He's sleeping a lot because he is sick but he sleeps a lot anyway. The doctors have decided that he has an infection in his lungs and will have to have IV antibiotics for about 5 days before we can go home. And I am spending my time chilling on the computer, nursing, and trying to get some sleep. The other baby in the room is less than thrilled about being here and cries a lot. I have increased respect for parents whose babies don't sleep well. It makes for tired parents.

Philipp and Isabella come visit every morning, midday and evening for a few minutes. Friends of ours took Isabella for a playdate with their son for a few hours today so Philipp could come and help for awhile. Very thankful for good friends who can help out. I got to take a shower!

Isabella is doing great with me being gone. I think she understands that Alexander is sick and needs me here. She did want to sleep here the first night though.

Our roommates are Turkish and the mother wears a headscarf. Before I moved to Germany I had only ever met one Turkish girl at university and didn't have any preconditioned ideas of what the Turkish are like. Since moving to Germany and being confronted by the large Turkish population and the sometimes less than enthusiastic welcome they receive from the German population that has changed a little bit but not in a bad way. The woman I am sharing a room with is a very loving mother who does things so naturally. Her husband is also very nice and their daughter adorable, though a screamer.

I've never had anything against headscarves, only the imposition of them, and there is something exotic about the wearing of one. My roommate has a pretty face and normal hair, which she shows when there are no men other than her husband around and she is in the room. But when she puts on her headscarf she becomes quite stunning and she wears it so naturally. I think it would be interesting to attend an Eid party at some point and witness this transformation in so many women. I'm sure the transformation goes in the other direction for many as well.

To end, Alexander is doing well, we have at least 3 more days here, and I'm getting a cultural lesson as well. Though I think I may be getting a sinus infection and it's a house full of doctors for little people, not adults. Oh, the irony...