Field trips and fevers

Today was a busy day for the Langlands family. It started with a 4:30 a.m. whisper in my ear. "Mama. Mama. I don't feel well" said the fevered whimper of my 6-year old. In seconds, Rob and I were flying out of bed and into hyper-mode. Rob was off down the stairs to get fever reducer and ice for my back and I was fumbling for the thermometer to confirm what we already knew--101.5F. Damn! My poor baby has a fever and is gonna miss her field trip. With tears and kisses, we got Anouk back to sleep and we grown-ups were able to get another 60 minutes of shut-eye.

When the 5:30 am alarm blasted through our room, the tears started again. But with a few more kisses, Anouk figured that her mom is also her teacher so at any point, she can get a personalized field trip. By 6:30 am, Anouk was focused on getting healthy so she wouldn't miss tomorrow's Halloween festivities and Xavier was ready for his big presentation.

And then... the rain started. On our way to school, I took off my sunglasses and looked out the window. The clouds were heavy and gray and the sky looked desperate to rain. I told Rob that I hoped the rain would stay at bay for just one more day so our field trip wouldn't be ruined. Side note: For two weeks I've been complaining about the heat and humidity. The air has been damp and heavy for awhile now and our aircos have been on the fritz. So I just couldn't help but do a little rain dance after my yard duty on Wednesday morning. Anyway, I guess my rain dance was a little too early because the heavens opened up and drenched Surabaya just minutes before our kids arrived at school. For 20 minutes, the flurry of text-messages and emails from parents was crazy. All I could do was reassure them that my teaching partner and I would sort it out. Lauren and I quickly recreated our activity stations while our assistants grabbed 24 garbage bags as make-shift raincoats just in case.

And then... just as quickly as it started. It ended. By the time the school bell rang, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and I was sweatin' up a storm.

Anyway, I digress... A LOT!

While on the way to our field trip at the International Cultural Center in Pandaan (my parents and Tricia have been there to see the beauty of it all), Xavier was presenting the XL Challenge to everyone at the elementary assembly. Check out his video below. He (and Rob) created this amazing project and I can't wait to see how it evolves.

By 8.30 in the morning, while I was stuck on a bus with 24 first graders, my mobile was buzzing off the hook with friends, teachers, administrators, and parents saying: "Your kid is amazing!" or "There wasn't a dry eye in the house" or "You and Rob should be SO proud!" Though I wish I could have been there, Rob said that Xavier's in-the-flesh presentation left a bit to be desired but his video garnered a ton of enthusiasm from the students and a big cheer at the end! Yes... we are VERY proud of him.

Our field trip was lovely. We all had a great time in the sun, the kids learned a lot, we all got back safe and sound, AND we made it home just minutes before the school bell rang.

24 students, 4 parents, 2 assistants, 2 teachers, 1 grandmother, and a partridge in a pear tree!

On our traffic-laden trip back to Surabaya I walked through the bus dealing with 2 lost teeth, 1 bloody nose, and 1 ripped hang-nail. Side Note: First grade is always an adventure. As we got back into the city, my mobile buzzed once again. This time it was Rob informing me that he was sick as a dog--fever, nausea, and all the yucky stuff that comes with the stomach flu that I had last week (and that is running rampant through the teachers at our school).

I raced back to class, dismissed my kids, grabbed Rob, drove us home, and then arrived to a baby who still had a 101 fever. I got Xavier started on his homework, Anouk focused on a Halloween movie, Rob tucked in bed, and then I took a few minutes to have a quick shower to get the 8 hours of sweat off of me.

But then, the BEST and easiest part of my day began to unfold: within 10 minutes of calling our school nurse, the doctor had ordered the medicine for delivery at our house, our nanny was on her way to the mall to pick up Gatorade-type drinks, and our cook was revising dinner plans as she looked at the sad state of our family.

It is 8:37 pm as I finish writing this blog. The status of life is this: Xavier was wiped out after writing a collection of Halloween jokes and passed out with a smile on his face about his Halloween party tomorrow. Anouk went to bed with a fever but with enough meds to help her sleep through the night and the hope...just a hope, that she'll be well enough to attend the Halloween parade in her paper doll costume tomorrow. After sleeping for 5 hours, I gently woke up Rob to check on him. I persuaded him to get up out of bed and write sub plans so he could get some R & R tomorrow. He still has a temp but is well-medicated and back in bed. And me? Well, I'm wiped out. I'm still freakin' hot. I haven't seen my chiropractor in 5 days AND am shocked that I'm up and walking around. And really, I'm just desperate for sleep. So I'm outta here!

Hopefully tomorrow and the Halloween festivities will go off without a hitch!

A fun day of movie making...

Hello dear family. If I haven't told you lately I am feeling SO much better. And I think it is evident by the making of these videos below:

Here's a little happy birthday video for mama's Auntie Monica.

And then there was the silly belated video for Bomma's birthday which was last weekend.

And then there's one more that I just HAD to show you. This collection of pictures was taken at the end of last school as the kids were experimenting with our new computer.

We hope you enjoyed our theatrics.

Love,
Angela (and the Langlands')

Showing off...

It is very rare that our little Anouk is actually quiet. I mean, honestly, we put her to bed 30 minutes early  just to get some peace and quiet in our house.

So the video below is adorable because it shows her performing what she learned at violin class. The first few sessions were a little less than expected because most of the kids didn't have their violins yet. But today's practice (when she didn't have her own violin) ended in this impromptu lesson later recorded because we just couldn't stop giggling at her thoughtful, focused, almost serious manner.

Enjoy.

Ouch... my back hurts!

Not my spine, but a pic
of the same issue I'm having

I have a pretty serious pain threshold. I guess that's why I walked around with a moderately herniated disc for over 3 weeks before I actually said anything to Rob. But when I couldn't walk two steps without crying, and I realized I had popped about 8 Tylenols before noon, it was time to come clean and see a doctor.

The thing about doctor's here is they don't know how to handle us westerners. Most Indonesians get nervous just by seeing us walk towards them. Often times the women behind the counter will run away or look down in hopes that we will walk away and not force them to help us in English. In any case, our school doctor hooked me up with his friend in the ER who got me an X-ray and some good drugs within an hour. It turns out I have a degenerative disc disease (which basically says that my 34-year-old self has the spine of someone twice my age) and I haven't taken care of my back issues since I was injured when I was 12. MAJOR oops!

But, when after a week, not much had changed it was time to go back for a 2nd look. They were convinced I needed an MRI. Rob went to the counter to pay a whopping $250 for my MRI and we were shocked at how the same test would cost nearly $2000. What a difference 9,000 miles makes. Anyway, after being coaxed by Rob, looking at the machine, and seeing that it was open at the top...I was ready and willing to enter what I have heard can be such an awful experience. But just seconds after the world and this mammoth machine started closing-in around me, I flipped out in a way I've never experienced. Apparently I'm claustrophobic. Great... now I've got ANOTHER issue to contend with.

So two weeks on, I've ignored all the Indonesian doctors (who think the only way to solve the problem is to cut me open and screw around with my spine... uh, NO!) and opted, instead to address the issues in alternative ways:

• I'm seeing a doctor at the hospital 2-3 times per week for cold laser treatments which is supposed to help at the cellular level and (hopefully) release pain from the nerve;
• I'm seeing a chiropractor (who is honestly a gift from God). He is trying to pull off the years of messy back issues I've incurred and is using an "activator" to adjust me get into tip-top shape;
• I'm icing every hour for 15 minutes to reduce inflammation;
• I've lost some weight by swimming and walking in the pool as often as possible (about 4 or 5 days a week), eating better, and doing specific stretches so I can get strong enough to start a new yoga and Pilate's plan;
• I'm sleeping differently;
• I'm reducing stress by quitting all of my additional committees and working 1/2 days at school until the pain ceases;
• as well as about 30 other therapeutic activities that I won't bore you with.

So, all in all, I'm on the mend. Thanks for your prayers, well wishes, and support.

I promise, the next blog will be more positive and upbeat! But see.. I'm still smiling!