It almost felt like we were back in Nicaragua today...last night I was going to write a blog about what it's like to live with a Screamer who decides she doesn't want to sleep anymore, but after today I am going to write about the little blessings God gives us when things don't go as planned.
The past week has been miserable for us being up every night with a sick, screaming child. Then, last night comes around and at the wise advice of my brother and sister-in-law (yes, the ones with 6 kids, so we take their advice very seriously) we let Aletta "cry-it-out"...not that we hadn't done that before, but after such a week this was really letting her cry-it-out. A battle of the wills of sorts and we had to come out on top. Well, let's just say we came out on top. And really, so did Aletta. She was happier than a pig in, well, it's play pen, all day today. I know, I wasn't going to write about the screaming part of my little Screamer, but I kind of have to in order set the stage for God's little blessings.
So, this morning (I guess it was just after noon) we are heading to some friends' place for lunch. We come to a roll in a very busy intersection and Kevin puts the vehicle into first gear as the light turns green and the car doesn't go... anywhere...well, lucky for us it was still rolling enough that he was just able to creep through the intersection and pull into the far right lane so that we didn't block too much traffic and have to experience the Nicaraguan feeling traffic of horns blaring.
I remember when we first arrived in Nicaragua we filled our cell phones with every English speaking persons phone number that we could find in case of such an emergency. Now, its pouring rain, cold and windy, and we also have a baby in the back seat. So who do we call? CAA. Of course. The strange person who answers the phone on the other end that can send out a tow truck and bring your vehicle to your mechanic of choice, is a welcome voice that can solve all our problems. Sort of. We also have Aletta to think about....can't just stand in the cold, windy rain. We called up the friends we were going to visit and they came to pick up Aletta and I while Kevin went with the tow truck dude to the mechanic, then his dad picked him up there and brought him home so that he could grab our other car and come out one more time to our friend's place.
It all worked out! Beautiful. And you know what was even more beautiful? Aletta was so happy the whole time. Thinking about it just brings a smile to my face.
Anywho, you'd think the happy ending (minus the mechanic bill) would be the end of the story. Not today. We are heading home, stop at a hardware store to pick up paint for our newly renovated basement (baby steps), and our second car doesn't start up! The battery is dead. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES? Kevin even made some joke about that as we were leaving our friend's place. We just looked at each other and laughed and laughed. Really, come on...what are the chances?? Twice in the span of 5 hours with two different vehicles.
It was almost time to feed Aletta and we had no idea how long it would take to get the car boosted. This time, Kevin called up another friend to come and give the car a boost. So I grabbed Aletta, wrapped her up in a blanket and walked a couple blocks to a coffee shop to feed her. Still cold and windy, but not raining. And Aletta was happy the whole time making everyones day with her big, snotty-faced smile. With a child like her, how can I be cranky about the situation at hand? Not a chance. Well, about 30 minutes later Kevin comes flying around the corner with a re-energized car. The end to our eventful, Nicaraguan feeling day. Praise God for friends, family, CAA and most of all, happy babies!
The past week has been miserable for us being up every night with a sick, screaming child. Then, last night comes around and at the wise advice of my brother and sister-in-law (yes, the ones with 6 kids, so we take their advice very seriously) we let Aletta "cry-it-out"...not that we hadn't done that before, but after such a week this was really letting her cry-it-out. A battle of the wills of sorts and we had to come out on top. Well, let's just say we came out on top. And really, so did Aletta. She was happier than a pig in, well, it's play pen, all day today. I know, I wasn't going to write about the screaming part of my little Screamer, but I kind of have to in order set the stage for God's little blessings.
So, this morning (I guess it was just after noon) we are heading to some friends' place for lunch. We come to a roll in a very busy intersection and Kevin puts the vehicle into first gear as the light turns green and the car doesn't go... anywhere...well, lucky for us it was still rolling enough that he was just able to creep through the intersection and pull into the far right lane so that we didn't block too much traffic and have to experience the Nicaraguan feeling traffic of horns blaring.
I remember when we first arrived in Nicaragua we filled our cell phones with every English speaking persons phone number that we could find in case of such an emergency. Now, its pouring rain, cold and windy, and we also have a baby in the back seat. So who do we call? CAA. Of course. The strange person who answers the phone on the other end that can send out a tow truck and bring your vehicle to your mechanic of choice, is a welcome voice that can solve all our problems. Sort of. We also have Aletta to think about....can't just stand in the cold, windy rain. We called up the friends we were going to visit and they came to pick up Aletta and I while Kevin went with the tow truck dude to the mechanic, then his dad picked him up there and brought him home so that he could grab our other car and come out one more time to our friend's place.
It all worked out! Beautiful. And you know what was even more beautiful? Aletta was so happy the whole time. Thinking about it just brings a smile to my face.
Anywho, you'd think the happy ending (minus the mechanic bill) would be the end of the story. Not today. We are heading home, stop at a hardware store to pick up paint for our newly renovated basement (baby steps), and our second car doesn't start up! The battery is dead. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES? Kevin even made some joke about that as we were leaving our friend's place. We just looked at each other and laughed and laughed. Really, come on...what are the chances?? Twice in the span of 5 hours with two different vehicles.
It was almost time to feed Aletta and we had no idea how long it would take to get the car boosted. This time, Kevin called up another friend to come and give the car a boost. So I grabbed Aletta, wrapped her up in a blanket and walked a couple blocks to a coffee shop to feed her. Still cold and windy, but not raining. And Aletta was happy the whole time making everyones day with her big, snotty-faced smile. With a child like her, how can I be cranky about the situation at hand? Not a chance. Well, about 30 minutes later Kevin comes flying around the corner with a re-energized car. The end to our eventful, Nicaraguan feeling day. Praise God for friends, family, CAA and most of all, happy babies!
Now Kevin is in the basement enjoying himself painting the bathroom a bright, rich purple colour. Ha.
