Parenting 101

We scored our first "F" this morning.

In under 36 hours we've already had to take this poor child to the doctor for x-rays. She's fine (at least the doctor is pretty sure she's fine)...but it certainly has been an interesting past 24 hours.

An’s first plane ride went very well – she was so excited about it. They had obviously talked to her about planes as she started squealing with delight when we got to the gate and she saw one. “May bay! May bay” is what she was yelling out (means airplane). I have great video of her during the take-off which I will try to load later. We arrived in Hanoi last night just about 7pm. Since we'd left for the airport at 1:00 we were all hungry and tired. We went to the restaurant in our hotel and had a quick supper. After one taste of my French fries, An all of a sudden decided that it was okay to be close to me so that she could get some more. She was putting them in her rice porridge so that she could use her chopsticks to get them out. It was a hysterical “east meets west” moment. Following that, we came back to the room and crashed.

This morning, we met the social worker at 8:45am to go to the police station to file for An’s passport. It took no time at all. Because the other family that is here is living in Korea, Holt had to make a special arrangement with the government to expedite their passport which was offered to us as well. Apparently this is rarely done and we are happy to take advantage of it. It means we may be able to come home next Wednesday if the flights work. As we were walking back to the street, An had Brian by one hand and the social worker by the other (I had no French fries therefore no holding my hand). She was jumping up and down to be swung and all of a sudden the social worker heard a “pop” and An started crying. She cried during the ride back to the hotel and when we got in the lobby, Brian and the social worker were asking her where it hurt and how much it hurt and we all finally decided that she should go to the doctor (the social worker asked her if she needed to see the doctor and with big tears in her eyes and sniffles she shook her head yes).

So…back in the van for a few blocks to the International SOS clinic. What an efficient place. As soon as the paperwork was filled out, we were whisked in to see the doctor. I think he was French, Brian thinks South African. Anyway, he couldn’t feel anything but said an x-ray was the only way to tell so off she and Brian go to the x-ray room. There was no fracture thankfully – the doctor thought she just partially dislocated her elbow. To put it back in place requires a little twisting and bending of the arm that was already hurting her. He said that once he did it, she should start using that hand again immediately. But she didn’t. So he did it again. And she didn’t use it again. Would the third time be a charm? Nope.
He called another doctor down who agreed that it was probably back in place and she was just babying it because she remembered that it hurt. We were sent home to give her Tylenol and to watch it. If she doesn’t start using it by tomorrow, we get to go back.

A few minutes after getting back to the room, she was laughing and eating her lunch like a goof. Not using the hand, but not acting as if in pain. She is now taking a nap and we’re hopeful that it’ll all be forgotten when she wakes up.
Since we were only going to the police station this morning, we didn’t take the camera. It’s too bad because a picture of the x-rays of her arm would have been one for the memory book!

Wendi