Josiah's been saying this one for quite a while...
Randomly, when he calls out to one of us, he'll say "Michael." Naturally, he learned this because that's what I do. Occasionally, he'll throw in "Honey" since that's also what I call him. Even better, he doesn't only use those names to call Daddy...he'll call me "Michael" as well. So funny. I try not to laugh, because I know it just encourages it, but sometimes I can't help it.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
A Thai Clinic
When we come to Thailand, we like to get all of our medical/dental appointments taken care of. The quality is good. The prices are fantastic.
Yesterday, I went to a small clinic suggested by a colleague to see a dermatologist. I've had this pesky spot of skin cancer (detected almost 2 yrs ago) on my forehead that need to be removed one way or another. I was excited about the referral because my colleague said it was run by Aussies (always nice to have English-speakers) and cost next to nothing. Double win!
I arrived. It was definitely small! Instead of filling out pages of new patient forms, I filled out a credit-card sized piece of paper written in Thai. I managed to write my name, birth date, and phone number. Guess that's all they needed!
I waited about 5 minutes with one other patient in the "waiting room." I was then escorted to a small office by a nurse who spoke great English. Whew! I was a little afraid up to that point. Behind the desk was a Thai man. Not even sure he was a doctor. Running through my mind: "Where are the Aussies?!?" I told him my issue. He looked at my spot through a magnifying glass the size of my head. He said, "It's difficult to tell what kind it is. We'll have to take a biopsy of it. But not until tomorrow. That's when the doctor (making me believe he wasn't one!!) will be in. You must come before noon." Ok, that's fine. Thanks for looking at my head anyway...!?
As I stood up to walk out, he said, "Oh, and you'll still need to pay the consultation fee at the front desk." For real?! All you did was tell me to come back tomorrow!! I would have been more upset, except that it only cost $2. Ok, sure, take my $2 for your expertise. :)
I went back today and took Malachi with me. I mommy-diagnosed him with eczema on his sweet little cheeks a few months ago. After the REAL dermatologist (Western..but not sure he was Australian. Who cares; he spoke English!) looked at it, he confirmed my diagnosis. He prescribed some cream, and that was that. Then he took the giant magnifying glass and looked at my spot. He wasn't too concerned. He asked some questions about it..if it changed, etc., and after replying "no," he said it's not so urgent. So, I'll wait until I get back to the States. No big deal.
Malachi's consultation + mine + 2 meds for him = $6. Yet another reason we love Thailand. :)
Yesterday, I went to a small clinic suggested by a colleague to see a dermatologist. I've had this pesky spot of skin cancer (detected almost 2 yrs ago) on my forehead that need to be removed one way or another. I was excited about the referral because my colleague said it was run by Aussies (always nice to have English-speakers) and cost next to nothing. Double win!
I arrived. It was definitely small! Instead of filling out pages of new patient forms, I filled out a credit-card sized piece of paper written in Thai. I managed to write my name, birth date, and phone number. Guess that's all they needed!
I waited about 5 minutes with one other patient in the "waiting room." I was then escorted to a small office by a nurse who spoke great English. Whew! I was a little afraid up to that point. Behind the desk was a Thai man. Not even sure he was a doctor. Running through my mind: "Where are the Aussies?!?" I told him my issue. He looked at my spot through a magnifying glass the size of my head. He said, "It's difficult to tell what kind it is. We'll have to take a biopsy of it. But not until tomorrow. That's when the doctor (making me believe he wasn't one!!) will be in. You must come before noon." Ok, that's fine. Thanks for looking at my head anyway...!?
As I stood up to walk out, he said, "Oh, and you'll still need to pay the consultation fee at the front desk." For real?! All you did was tell me to come back tomorrow!! I would have been more upset, except that it only cost $2. Ok, sure, take my $2 for your expertise. :)
I went back today and took Malachi with me. I mommy-diagnosed him with eczema on his sweet little cheeks a few months ago. After the REAL dermatologist (Western..but not sure he was Australian. Who cares; he spoke English!) looked at it, he confirmed my diagnosis. He prescribed some cream, and that was that. Then he took the giant magnifying glass and looked at my spot. He wasn't too concerned. He asked some questions about it..if it changed, etc., and after replying "no," he said it's not so urgent. So, I'll wait until I get back to the States. No big deal.
Malachi's consultation + mine + 2 meds for him = $6. Yet another reason we love Thailand. :)
Sunday, January 15, 2012
From the Land of Thai
I write this from Thailand. Please don't be jealous; it's been way more work than rest!
We arrived the 3rd (MUCH earlier than planned) because Malachi's visa expired. We had to leave China to get a new one, and we need to be here for our conference anyway, so we just came early. The past 2 weeks have crawled and flown all at once.
The search for our hotel was excruciating. We needed one with some space; not only for the kids to have some breathing room to play, but also enough rooms for everyone to have their own space to sleep. We have trained our kids to sleep alone in a quiet, dark space. This always comes back to haunt us when we leave our home. I usually want to give in and let them sleep with us, but we've tried. They don't sleep. They don't equate it to bed time. So, we have to get creative. Josiah is in a pack n' play in one side of the bathroom. Malachi is...should I reveal this?....on a shelf in the closet. :) I promise it's soft for him, and he can't fall off! There just wasn't any other place quiet or dark enough to put him.
However, that means he's in our room. Which means we hear everything he does. We're not used to this! I wouldn't call him a good sleeper (compared to Josiah, anyway), so he's still trying to get the hang of sleeping at night. This has caused some pretty sleepless nights for Mom and Dad. We (mostly I) take naps almost every day to catch up. I've never been able to fall asleep so fast in my life, and in some pretty uncomfortable positions.
During the day, we go for walks through the winding streets that make up this city. I was hoping Malachi would do well sleeping in the carrier. Not so much. He'll take a short nap, but then wake up and want to see the world. So, our trips are limited as a family. We take turns taking Josiah out.
Eating great food here is always a highlight. Since it's so focused on Western tourists, there are lots of Western restaurants. After our first meal out, though, we had to put an end to it. It included a very cranky toddler and a baby who had the biggest poop explosion of his life, and wailed the entire time we cleaned him--and everything else--up. So we now order in from a nifty delivery service. After doing the math, we happily realized we're actually saving money on delivery versus paying for taxis to and from. Sweet!
And, to wrap it all up, 3/4 of us are sick again. Michael survived the last virus. This time, it's a cold/bronchial thing. Malachi started it, and is really struggling to get over it. Michael got a touch of it, now it's hitting Josiah. Sheesh. The kids will basically be immune to the world in a few years.
Amidst the trials of "vacationing" with little ones, it's still been nice to be in warm weather. Actually having the option of leaving our abode has been awesome. We're soaking it up as much as possible.
Some colleagues/friends are starting to trickle in, so we're excited to reunite with them! Then our conference will start and we'll get to be with our whole company, worship (haven't done this corporately since we left the US!!), attend seminars, and share stories. Such a blessed time!
We arrived the 3rd (MUCH earlier than planned) because Malachi's visa expired. We had to leave China to get a new one, and we need to be here for our conference anyway, so we just came early. The past 2 weeks have crawled and flown all at once.
The search for our hotel was excruciating. We needed one with some space; not only for the kids to have some breathing room to play, but also enough rooms for everyone to have their own space to sleep. We have trained our kids to sleep alone in a quiet, dark space. This always comes back to haunt us when we leave our home. I usually want to give in and let them sleep with us, but we've tried. They don't sleep. They don't equate it to bed time. So, we have to get creative. Josiah is in a pack n' play in one side of the bathroom. Malachi is...should I reveal this?....on a shelf in the closet. :) I promise it's soft for him, and he can't fall off! There just wasn't any other place quiet or dark enough to put him.
However, that means he's in our room. Which means we hear everything he does. We're not used to this! I wouldn't call him a good sleeper (compared to Josiah, anyway), so he's still trying to get the hang of sleeping at night. This has caused some pretty sleepless nights for Mom and Dad. We (mostly I) take naps almost every day to catch up. I've never been able to fall asleep so fast in my life, and in some pretty uncomfortable positions.
During the day, we go for walks through the winding streets that make up this city. I was hoping Malachi would do well sleeping in the carrier. Not so much. He'll take a short nap, but then wake up and want to see the world. So, our trips are limited as a family. We take turns taking Josiah out.
Eating great food here is always a highlight. Since it's so focused on Western tourists, there are lots of Western restaurants. After our first meal out, though, we had to put an end to it. It included a very cranky toddler and a baby who had the biggest poop explosion of his life, and wailed the entire time we cleaned him--and everything else--up. So we now order in from a nifty delivery service. After doing the math, we happily realized we're actually saving money on delivery versus paying for taxis to and from. Sweet!
And, to wrap it all up, 3/4 of us are sick again. Michael survived the last virus. This time, it's a cold/bronchial thing. Malachi started it, and is really struggling to get over it. Michael got a touch of it, now it's hitting Josiah. Sheesh. The kids will basically be immune to the world in a few years.
Amidst the trials of "vacationing" with little ones, it's still been nice to be in warm weather. Actually having the option of leaving our abode has been awesome. We're soaking it up as much as possible.
Some colleagues/friends are starting to trickle in, so we're excited to reunite with them! Then our conference will start and we'll get to be with our whole company, worship (haven't done this corporately since we left the US!!), attend seminars, and share stories. Such a blessed time!
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