Monday

Updates:

Nothing is every easy. This pediatric dermatologists office was on the other side of Pittsburgh, but the direct road was under construction and the detour was not well marked. SO they took us a round about way...yeah, it took almost 2 hours to get to Pittsburgh! At one point I think we were closer to Ohio than anything else!

We did make it there on time, and did not have to wait hours (like the receptionist originally said when I tried to set up the appointments). The doctors were both very nice. The first one came in and took a sample to make sure it wasn't scabies. Apparently she was the best at identifying them. Well, from what I know of the little buggers, there is NO way that just two of the six of us would end up with scabies. So, with scabies ruled out, the next doctor came in to assess their bumps. He said it wasn't River Blindness (which was a relief), but it was due to dry skin. Hummmm, not until I left the office, did my argumentative thoughts kick in. I moisturize them with heavy cream twice a day, and their hands are never even ashy, and they never are scratching at them...??? BUT, I will get the Rx filled and try it out. We have a follow up in two months. If the cream works, great, but if not, I am coming prepared next time.

Since getting up so early, the kids were hungry at 10:30am, so we went to the drive through at Burger King. Not until after they finished their egg croissant, did I remember why I don't feed the Africans greasy food in the car. (Pause, I should back up a few...I was going from the doctor's office to the zoo where my sister in law had my other two kids, and I was using the directions I got from mapquest. Don't use mapquest. I was looking for roads that didn't exist. Trying all the while to figure out the difference between slight right, right, and hard right.)

In the middle of being lost somewhere in Pittsburgh, I hear, "Mommy, I gotta poop." When I look back, this child's butt cheeks are squeezed together and their bum was several inches off the booster. Not good. (What goes in, must come out?) With our new ones, they haven't quite learned that we can't just poop anywhere we feel like going. It has been very hard, especially in the car, to get them to give us a "warning call." AND there was nothing I could do. We were on a two land road, the guy in front of us was trying to make a left turn, and the on coming traffic was a funeral procession (he wasn't going to be turning for a while). So in my sternest voice, I say, "You many not poop in your pants for any reason. Squeeze harder!" (Totally laughing inside) Finally, we found a gas station, got directions and a bathroom. Just in time I might add...and as luck would have it, as soon as the one was finished, the other one had to "go." That is just my life...

The directions from mapquest put the zoo somewhere within a 1.2 mile radius of the gas station. WRONG! It was like 10 miles away, over some bridge! We finally arrived, and had a great time at the zoo...And as luck would have it, I had to go over with Kp why we can't buy animals at the zoo. It brought back fond memories of Saah at the zoo...as did the piranhas tank when we went round upon round with him about obeying rules!

(the snaggle tooth on Kp finally came out last night! yeah!!!)

The baby elephants were soooooo cute!

Out of all the animals in the whole zoo, the boys liked the goldfish the best...go figure!

Little L did not like the elephants up close.

Again, more interested in the coins in the pond, than the fish or any other animals!

Kd loves to follow the map!

PS: In case you caught on, yes, my girls wore those shirts the last time we went to the zoo! Oops!