Nana's Family Reunion Photos

Check out Nana's great family reunion pictures here. Such great memories, and I'm so glad she's got the photos and the web savvy to upload them all by herself. (She called to ask me how, but I only told her the first thing to do, and she said, "Oh, I just follow the directions. I get it. Bye." Such a cool mom even in her old age.

Dengue Doom Done

Two months ago I caught the dreaded dengue fever. Here is the story. . .

The city of Delhi had been all abuzz about how many cases of dengue there were in the city, how many people were dying, etc. Rich's work party was cancelled to help us all avoid getting it. I was getting SMS messages on my mobile phone from Airtel with tips on how to avoid dengue. You get the idea.

So, when I came down with a fever on 19 October, the day after my Seven Cities presentation, I was a bit worried. Then when my eyes started burning and the fever wouldn't go away I started to feel this impending doom. Did I have the dreaded dengue? How could I be so stupid? I was always dousing the kids with mosquito repellant, but often left myself out of the fun (dengue spreads only through mosquitos).

Then, as I deal with many dilemmas, I started reading about it . . . on the Internet. Luckily, unlike what usually happens when you read up on diseases on the Internet, it didn't sound all that bad. Most sources said you can treat the thing at home. So I waited in my bed for the fever to break. Margaret took care of the kids. Diwali (the Festival of Lights) came and went and I laid in bed most of the time listening to the fireworks, feeling really weird. I read lots of books, including Grandma Funk's book written by Aunt Nancy. Really good reading. I missed Isaac's big United Nations Day Program. Still had a fever.

Finally we went to a doctor Monday, 23 October, and he ordered a blood test and bed rest. By that time I had really achy muscles, and could barely walk up and down the stairs. Felt like I'd run a race, even though I'd been in bed for days. I remember really well we had to take a taxi to get to the doctor and there were several mosquitos flying around in it. Inescapable. Why did I end up being the unlucky one? The weird thing is that I don't even remember having a mosquito bite when I would have been infected.

Anyway, the doctor we had seen was the first one we could get in to at the Max Clinic and we didn't like him much, so we decided to go see our doctor Dr. Monica Mahajan Tuesday, 24 October and see what the blood test results were. She noted some rashes developing on my neck and trunk, and though the blood test still didn't show dengue she suggested I be admitted to the hospital to monitor my platelet count and keep me hydrated. Yuck! I really didn't want to go, but Rich thought it was a good idea, so we agreed. When we got home to get our stuff and say goodbye to the kids I started to get numb in my fingers and hands and started to think maybe this was a good idea after all.

I was in the hospital poked and prodded and bound to my bed for 5 days--the Max Super Specialty Hospital at Saket. The hospital was brand new and very nice. One day they took me downstairs for an ultrasound of my kidneys with a fancy new machine. Later I found out that this hospital is one of the popular ones for the medical tourism that has become so popular lately. People find that it's much cheaper and pretty much equal to travel to India for a big operation or something. Having stayed there as a resident of Delhi, I just don't think it's a good idea. I already feel rather adjusted to India and was stressed about the food and cleanliness. I can't imagine how I would be if I had just flown in for an operation. But whatever floats people's boats. But I digress . . .

The fever finally broke on the 4th day I was there. The IV I was attached to most of the time helped to keep the fever down and made up for the small amount I was eating, partly because of the illness and partly because I was worried about eating the food.

The day after I arrived I started getting the full-on rash and swelling--the very worst part. My hands and feet swelled up to about double their size (almost couldn't get my rings off) and my feet were huge and felt like I was walking on pins and needles if I got up. Most of my body was covered with this bright red, itchy rash. Yuck! So there I was laying in a really uncomfortable hospital bed, mostly sleeping fitfully for days. Rich luckily had a bunch of days off for Diwali, so he faithfully stayed with me during the days and went home to the kids at night.

There's something about having a fever for so long that starts to make you feel a bit crazy. I wondered if it would ever go away. At one point I remember talking to the fever, telling it that I didn't invite it and would it please leave! I knew that once my fever broke and my platelet counts stayed within the normal not-scary range (which they did) I could go home, which was all I wanted once I started feeling better. The kids weren't allowed to visit in the hospital, but Graham came once or twice a day to breastfeed and Isaac and Russell visited once. I missed them so much!

The fever did finally break on Friday, 27 October so Saturday I was released to go home. I did finally test positive for dengue on that morning's blood test. Hooray! I survived! The icky thing I have to worry about now, they say, is that if I get dengue again next year (it's a seasonal thing), it will likely be worse. I'll be better about my mosquito repellant next year, for sure.

The very best result from all of this dengue mess is that my parents got so worried about me that they showed up! They arrived here on 31 October and stayed two weeks. It was great to have them here while I regained my strength. Nothing beats having your Mom and Dad around when life gets really hard. They both played with the kids for hours, told me to go to bed and get my rest, and even washed dishes and cooked.
Dengue didn't kill me, it just stole about 3 weeks of my life from me. Some people ask why, after experiencing dengue, we aren't running back to the USA. I guess that might be the wise thing to do. But we knew when we signed up to live in India that it was risky. Life is anywhere. We also knew (and still know) that this is the right place for our family to be right now, for whatever reason. Dengue didn't kill me, so it must have made me a better (not bitter!) person.

Nana Came!

Mom came to India! You can come too. Check out all the fun we had . . . and we didn't even take pictures of half of it.

Nana read lots and lots of stories to the boys while I was stressing about something I can't remember now . . .

Russell and Nana had lots of fun playing. I think by the end of her stay Nana had figured out how to decipher what some of the members think is Chinese (the way Russell speaks). While she was here we convinced Russell to say "wa-Ter" instead of "wa-wa" and "In-Di-a" instead of "ee-a." I had visions of Nana potty-training like Great Grandma Gurney potty-trained Brandon on a visit. But we take what we can get . . .

This is a photo Mom took of us at Khan Market--the upscale place where all the foreigners shop. She didn't believe me that it's upscale until later.

This is a photo of us swinging at the India Gate Children's Park. You can come swing with us there too! We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo . . . You can come too, too, too. Come to India! We promise to do our darndest to keep you from getting as sick as Nana did...

Neemrana with Mama

Nana hanging out at the pool with Graham-Bam.

Isaac on one of the secret passageways at the Neemrana Fort you could spend hours exploring.

Graham hanging out at the movie set of a movie they were filming at this Neemrana Fort we stayed at.

Russell sleeping in the window nook in our interesting room. The fort is from the 14th century so the walls are super thick and all the rooms unique and full of antique furniture. Isaac slept in the window nook on the other side and there was a room for me and Rich up a few stairs from them. Fabulous place to stay with a pool, good food, and tons of atmosphere.

Nana and Graham waiting for dinner together.


Nana on the bumpy camel cart ride. This is her "I hope I don't toss my cookies or fall off this thing!" look.


Rich enjoying the camel cart ride despite the heat.
This is the amazing step well we saw in Neemrana. We climbed down a bazillion steps to peek into this huge rectangle for storing rain water that was built ages ago.

At this stepwell we had two very friendly and helpful tour guides that just showed up out of nowhere. It turns out they were both jewelry sellers trying to court our business at their shops outside the fort.

It worked. Mom had a bracelet made at one guy's shop, I had a ring made, and I bought earrings from the other guy. It's all cheap and Isaac even got to watch the jewelry be made.

These are some of the village kids who gathered around to gawk at the white kid and his dad.

Easter with Mom

The Easter Egg Hunt in the garden with Mr. RK Singh (the guard) helping. A few days ago we found out this guy was taking bribes so we sent him away. But he sure enjoyed this hunt, as you can see.

Notice how sick Nana looks. So sad. Try as she might, she could not get out of bed to go to church this morning, but she did get out later to try to join in the other Easter activities. Poor Nana!

Graham's first Easter was visibly successful. Just give the kid something to sink his two tiny teeth into and he'll give you a winning grin in return!

Nana in Delhi

Mom is here! I didn't allow myself to fully believe she was really truly coming to visit us all the way across the world until I saw her in the flesh. Rich had given her a scary prepping for the airport just in case we didn't arrive, but when I got there to greet her I was surprised at how not-scary it felt the third time around on the receiving end of the airport experience. Both times we arrived in the airport I felt so disoriented and scared. But I guess sometimes you feel that way in Chicago or New York or wherever. Anyway, we waited around for an hour dodging mosquitos and trying to distract Russell from slithering on the floor and she miraculously arrived! Russell was nervous to see her at first and didn't understand why we weren't getting on an airplane, but he's warmed up to her nicely since then.

Our first day we stopped to get Isaac at the school. Then we had lunch at the cafeteria with Marcia, Ellie and Tom. Then went home and Nanna crashed. Couldn't blame her after 48 hours of almost no sleep. Rich came home early, but by the time he came home I had totally lost it between some tantrum-ing children and eight unexpected merchants who all showed up within a couple of hour's time (and no, I'm not exaggerating! Three men to collect money for the generator, two painters to talk about painting but not paint, a carpenter to talk about fixing the gate but doesn't have time to do it until next week, a delivery man from the grocery store bringing cheese we didn't ask for, and a guy from the gas company to refill our canister but it turned out to be the wrong company). So Mom got a taste early on of how out of control and angry I feel sometimes in this strange place where I can't communicate and/or can't understand.

So on Thursday we went to school and Nanna played with the kids while I went to my Hindi class. Then we went to Khan Market to find contact solution and I bought a skirt and a toy scooter for Russell. We went home for a little nap, then met Marcia, Tom and Ellie at the school pool for a swim. Luckily Russell decided to get in after swimming lessons there last week where he refused to even get in. We chatted with Marcia, which is always fun, and then went to pick up Rich at work.

Friday was Good Friday so Rich was off work. We went to this water park called Food N Fun Village and Nanna swam with the baby and chatted with our friends who had invited us while Isaac and Daddy and Mommy tried out the slides. I went on one that was sort of like a toilet bowl, and it's definitely a rush to go on a waterslide that you know hasn't been checked by any lawyers or measures up to any US standards of safety! All that sun was quite draining so we went home and essentially went to bed.

Saturday we were slow getting out the door but eventually made our way to the India Gate Children's Park for a picnic and play. Then we drove over to Connaught Place and went shopping in an underground market where Rich bought a sahib suit to wear to parties. Then we got him just in time for Mom and me to go get our pedicures and manicures at this exclusive French salon for way cheap. Mom said it was her best pedicure yet. It was my first pedicure ever . . . had to move halfway around the world to learn how to pamper myself! Then we got home and Rich and Nana went for takeout food and a movie. They came home with yummy spicy Indian vegetarian and a cheesy Bollywood flick. We started falling asleep halfway through (as usual . . . all Bollywood films are like 3 hours long!), but what we saw was great.

This morning Nanna woke up with the Delhi Belly. Yuck, yuck. So we had to leave her home and she missed out on seeing the truly unique church experience in Delhi. We had a beautiful Easter sacrament meeting program and Russell didn't cling to me for the first time at church and we didn't have any major dramatic moments at any point during the meetings. So perhaps we are at last adjusting to church life in India.

Graham the Bird-Eater

Nana says Graham eats just like a little bird with his mouth wide open.
However he eats, eating makes him very, very happy. He makes us very, very happy too

The Fabulous Flight

The boys were angels on the airplane. Of course, it helped that we were sitting in business class, but I don't think they would have cared. We played musical seats several times for variety, but we all slept for probably 8-10 hours of the 15-hour flight. Nana sent a bag full of planes that delighted Russell to no end (and annoyed the man two seats behind who was not amused by the airplane sounds he made while playing!). And Isaac loved listening to books on tape with the headset and cassette player from G&G Cutler and Aunt Katie.

Graham slept nearly the entire flight to Delhi in the bassinet. The rest of the time he played with his dinosaur from Aunt Katie and drooled a lot.

Graham also spent some time hanging out with the flight attendant Sheri. At one point, she took him and disappeared! I was a little worried, but figured she couldn't go far with us all on the same airplane over an ocean. She re-appeared after a few minutes, and it was a welcome break for Russell to get some one-on-one attention.

Thanks for the Blanket, Nana!

This Graham grinning and cooing all wrapped up in his new homemade blanket from Nana. It's perfect--just right for wrapping up tight like he likes it, not too hot, and plenty of holes to stick his fingers through. What a lucky boy to have such a Nana!

Mom's Got It Right Again

The part of conference that rings in my head today is from Susan W. Tanner's talk. She said her mother told her as a young woman to do her best to take care of herself before she walked out the door, but when she walked out the door, she needed to focus on others.

At first I thought, "Well, how do I apply that to me? I stay indoors most of the day!" But then I remembered my mom's modus operandi. Typically when we woke up Mom had already showered, dressed, put on her makeup and done her hair. I rarely do this before my kids wake up, rarely wear makeup, and on some days don't even bother to change out of my pajamas (my motto: pajamas should always be able to pass as regular clothes so you can stay in them all day without anyone knowing it!).

But Sister Tanner's talk made me wonder if a better approach to my stay-at-home-mom-ness is to take the time each morning for myself (reading scriptures, praying, making myself beautiful), and then walk out of my room equipped to serve my family with all my heart. The older I get the more I realize Mom had it figured out better than I realized!