Anyway, here's a big cheer for Vanessa! Without her, it would have been impossible for us to be with Nathan in Bangkok. She stayed cool and collected in the face of unruly kids and a very stressed out mom, and was probably the sanest of the bunch.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Saint Vanessa
Those of you who followed Nathan's hospitalization in Bangkok closely know that a friend of ours, Vanessa, put her own life in Phnom Penh on hold to come to Bangkok and help out with the kids. Vanessa was really amazing. She had so much energy and patience for the kids, and immediately dove right in to even the less exciting aspects of parenting, like diarrhea diapers, medicated diaper cream, getting toddlers to take medicine, and losing most of your sleep to toddlers who refuse to sleep! (Oddly enough, all of those refer to Ben. Ellie was mostly a little angel. We explained to her that daddy was sick and she needed to be especially good, and she really was. At least, she was until Nathan got out of the hospital. Then she seemed to figure that all bets were off and she could let out all the "naughty" behavior she'd been holding in for a week. We couldn't blame her too much.)
Anyway, here's a big cheer for Vanessa! Without her, it would have been impossible for us to be with Nathan in Bangkok. She stayed cool and collected in the face of unruly kids and a very stressed out mom, and was probably the sanest of the bunch.
Anyway, here's a big cheer for Vanessa! Without her, it would have been impossible for us to be with Nathan in Bangkok. She stayed cool and collected in the face of unruly kids and a very stressed out mom, and was probably the sanest of the bunch.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Please allow me some liberty as a mother to add my thanks to Saint Vanessa. Usually the distance between us and our children in Cambodia feels pretty OK because we believe they're happy and doing good things. But the week that Nathan was in the hospital was difficult for us as parents, too. We worried for Nathan, and we also worried for Jen and desperately wanted to be there to help. It was very comforting to know that Vanessa was there helping out when we couldn't. We don't know her - but she will always have a very special place in our hearts. Thank you, Vanessa. Jen has it right - you are a saint.
Love,
Mom
I got so choked up (seriously, I really did), on that last comment that I forgot to comment on the photo. Vanessa definitely looks like the most functional one in the picture - love the yawn!
Love,
Mom
Post a Comment