It's a Circus, and it's mine!

Today, the boys, Adele and I ventured to the hospital for some shots (one for each kid...yeah that was fun!). Now, for those of you who have been here know how crazy driving is here (or can be) and we found ourselves on the wrong road going North (as PJ correctly pronounced). We wanted to go north but not quite as far as we were heading. About this time (the time that I missed the road I wanted and realized I was going the wrong way and about to go thru a toll to who knows where... ) I noticed we were on EMPTY!!! HOW does this happen? So, we pass thru the toll booth, pay the toll and we're on our way...to where we do not know, on an empty tank of diesel. =) So, PJ (who is my co-pilot on these mis-adventures we have and does sit in the front seat with me with his knight's helmet and sword) asks me if we're on the right road yet. "Uh, no, but you know what you can do, PJ?" I say to him. "You can pray." And so goes his precious 4 1/2 year old prayer..."Dear Jesus, thank you for helping us get the right road. In Jesus' Name. Amen." (Note to reader, PJ ALWAYS says thank-you when he starts any prayer...) So, we see a sign for Ramkhamhaeng Road and I decide that before we get any more lost we need to refill our tank and besides that we were just on this road a couple weeks ago (lost that time too, I might add!) so I thought we'd give it a go and it helps that I thought this road intersected the road that I needed anyway. SO, we get some diesel, I call Paul, we re-group (PJ and I) and I talk to the gas attendant just to make sure and we're off. And it turns out, Ramkhamhaeng Rd. does intersect with the one I need on...voila! So, quickly PJ and I were thanking God and made it to the hospital.

So, when does the circus come to town? Well, when we get to the hospital. I decided to leave Adele in her infant carseat that we are borrowing (as she is asleep) and I carry it into the hospital. Calvin, of course, is the wild card. He is holding my other free hand and PJ's hand. We progress thru the parking garage and to the "lift" (elevator) and we manage to get everybody onboard with no limbs in the doors. The elevator is full of people, of course, and they are all looking at me, the crazy women bringing three kids to the hospital ALL by myself. *Cultural Note: Thais DO NOT generally have more than two or three kids and they are usually between 5 and 10 years apart. They say, "khon la khon" or person to person. The way they raise children is completely different than the way we do so the Thai child ALWAYS needs someone right there to help feed them, hold them , walk them, or whatever the case may be. For instance, many of our Thai friends find it amazing that Calvin who is only 2 can feed himself and sit in a seat and eat his entire meal before getting up to play again. Their children at 2 years old are permitted to run around the house/outside while the mother, grandmother or nanny runs around after them with a bowl of food and a spoon ready to spoon feed the child whenever the child has the urge to eat more food, so let's suffice it to say, we have different ideas when it comes to having and raising kids...*
Ok, so, we then step out of the elevator at our stop and proceed to the doctor's office. The hospital is a great set up for kids. I'll tell you what, if you want to see how to be kid-friendly, come to Thailand. There are these soft play mats with kids playground-type equipment set up. There are a couple of plastic play houses big enough for 2-6 years old but too small for adults and lots of other stuff. So, the boys take off their shoes (in typical Thai fashion) and go to town playing. Thankfully, Adele is still asleep, but the looks from all the other Thais in the room are ones of astonishment and maybe they think I'm completely outta my mind. At this point, I'm feeling quite proud that my two boys are being sweet and obeying and Adele is asleep. All is well. All continues to stay well until we go into the doctor's office. He checked Calvin first...no worries there. He got his shots without any tears! And then was PJ's turn. By this point the boys were getting antsy, especially Calvin. He wanted to explore the entire office and the doctor's nurse would leave the room and leave the door open a little bit, so Calvin escaped a couple times...that was when the circus began. PJ also did well with his shot...no tears! So, then we were onto Adele. By this point, Calvin was all out tired of being couped up in the doctor's office and wanted to get out and play. Unfortunately, Adele did cry and she cried loud enough and long enough for all three of them; and everyone on that floor heard it too. She was angry.

This, my dear readers, is why I don't go out alone with my three precious children. What was I thinking today? I know I was thining, I can do this, we can handle this. And we did. It might have taken us a little longer than some, but we managed. We entered the hospital at 11:45 and left at 2:15 with four doctor visits in the mix. We grabbed hotdogs and drinks at the little 7-11 type store in the basement and ate in the car in front of the hosptial admiring the beautiful water fountains. Would I do this every week? No, but I am glad we did it and we had fun. By the way, the fourth doctor visit was for Calvin's eye. He's had a clear "tear" running from it for about five months (off and on) so we saw a children's eye doctor who told us to massage it 5-6 times a day and come back in a month to see if it's better. He gave me some long name for the condition but I can't recall what it is. Please pray for this to go away.

Now, I know many of you have three or more kids and are surviving or have survived. I thank you for your examples and encouragement. I thank God for His grace that helps me laugh when I take a wrong turn and laugh that everyone in that hospital thinks I'm a crazy women. I am glad for the blessings God has given me but I am also glad to be home!