My Conversation with God

Things I am Thankful for:

1.) Crystal had a beautiful, safe, in tact campus to run on this evening..away from Houston
2.) That my gut so wisely led me to not evacuate out of the city on Wednesday night, but to take her to pediatrician's office on that Thursday morning, pre-Hurricane Ike
3.) Texas Childrens Hospital has a magnificent, caring and loving staff who strive to make children smile and are brilliant in healing
4.)My house is only suffering from loss of power
5.) I am insanely blessed with benevolent, unselfish friends who always make me feel like family
6.)Even though Sammy is working around the clock during this hurricane week, he is excited by every volatile minute of it
7.) That my mother is safely in Guatemala enjoying our family and I did not have to worry about her managing in this storm
8.) Daniela packed me the warmest pajamas for the hospital stay and I just found her lovely surprise of a monogrammed microfiber bath robe in the bag of fresh clothes she dropped off today (saving it for my long shower tomorrow!)
9.) This week's weather forecast calls for highs in the 80's (as opposed to 90's)
10.) That my neighbors, friends and family are safely tucked in their own beds, in their own homes with no injuries to report
11.) That I have a perfect, temporary housing plan when we get discharged tomorrow
11.) Sammy telling me tonight that I was doing a good job and that I am a great mother. Although Isabela told him that I was not "great", "Mami is Good". Clearly she doesn't have the word "great" in her English vocabulary yet..right???
12.) That Las Vegas will be there in its full functioning mode and ready for us (with Hills) to embrace it, after all this (in less than two weeks)!!



My Wish List:

1.) Any COLD drink with ice..(ice is not safe right now) and I don't have a fridge to cool a drink
2.) A shower that does not consist of dial soap and Johnson and Johnson Baby Wash as shampoo AND conditioner for my hair
3.) 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep not involving a PCA, respiratory tech, a nurse,a doctor or a Pulse OX monitor beeping all night.
4.) Power and a safe house for ALL of Houston and our neighboring counties or states
5.) To watch Isabela play tomorrow with smiles in full bloom
6.) That Anna and Walker drive home safely from Shreveport and find their house nice and dry
7.) That the chaos will subside soon and Isabela and her Papi can go back to their game of golf
(pic taken this past Sunday afternoon at Mario and Daniela's)

Now What?

This is scary stuff in Houston. Almost every one I know has no power, about 2 million subscribers, locally waiting in anticipation of relief. Our electric provider is warning citizens to hold on tight for days or even weeks for restoration. Isabela is sleeping now, more than I am comfortable with, but I hope it's just that she's that tired from all the stimulation around here. While she sleeps tonight, I will be torn with rejoicing that we may be discharged tomorrow, but afraid of not having a house with power. I will be spending this evening looking at my options, perhaps having to find a hotel outside of Houston. Fortunately, the weather calls for temps in the 80's, but it still may be too warm for Bela.

The Height of the Storm

Bela sleeping in the hallway around 1 am

the 15th Floor Hallway, my PC viewing in the background

Our view of Houston, post hurricane IKE at 11 am


After 14 hours lined up in the hallway as we let Hurricane Ike do its thing, we are back in our private quarters. What a sweet luxury to have, privacy..ahhh. I think the hardest part about being in the hallway is not being able to crouch to pray with all the tears and anger I had. The bright lights, the irritated children and babies, the sound of the carts rolling by and the professional conversations being exchanged among the staff certainly were not helpful either. However, with the LOUD whistling sound of the wind ( I was 3 feet from a stairwell), Isabela seemed oblivious to it all and slept soundly. I tried to catch 20 min. here and there, by almost completely covering my face with the stuffed elephant Sue gave Bela yesterday, but was too worried about letting my guard down. I slept fully clothed, tennis shoes tied tightly and my purse and phone glued to me..just in case. Once it got really bad, once I heard that windows on the 3rd and 7th floors had been busted through with patients nearby, I was on my feet, watching the local coverage from the nurse's PC. Another mother accompanied me, but she seemed more enthralled with the excitement than being worried for our safety.

It's passed, we are watching the rain bands come through, but most importantly, this morning, Isabela is having a bit more trouble holding her own baseline with her oxygen sats. They had to go up on her oxygen. Not a step in the right direction, but I don't think we need to be concerned, at least for now. One big concern I have is her boredom. She's never been a child to sit in front of the television, so being confined to her bed has been hard for her. Although, she will tell you that she does not want to go home..go figure! On the home front, my brother-in-law, Billy offered to drive by our house this morning to check it out. I was on the phone with him as he described the minimal damage. Many small trees have fallen to the ground blocking our street and our driveway, our patio screens have been blown out, my White Oleander is crushed and a few potted plants have been turned over. All our glass continues to retain its place and our pool did not over flow and cause flooding. What a relief! And, of course, no power.

If we leave here anytime soon and power still presents itself as an issue, we will be staying down the road at Daniela and Mario's. At least we'll be a bit closer to Sammy, who will be at work for days, plenty of water damage there and busy media responsibilities. In the meantime, I will be praying for Isabela to heal and that I can recover soon from my lethargy. I have slept a total of 6 hours over 3 nights. I am feeling the pain and clearly do not feel like myself. I miss my regular exercise and healthy foods, as I am bound to this room and have to share Isabela's tray from the hospital cafeteria and we have just been informed to not take any showers. I don't think I will complain the next time I eat a boring salad after running on my boring treadmill. I surely miss my boring little life.

Enjoy the pics and video of Isabela on the rebound!