Potatoes and Fever

For over a week now we have been struggling with Isabela's flu symptoms: cough, little appetite, runny nose, stuffy nose and fever of 101 to 103. But it could also be she is teething. We have been giving her Motrin every 8 hours until we found that Croatia does indeed have Tylenol except it is called Lupocet.And so we are alternating every 4 hours. After a third visit to the pediatrician a blood test was finally done and confirmed no bacteria infection and therefore no need for antibiotics.

We have been doing every trick in the book to have her eat and drink. She had chicken soup with a medicine dropper another time I disguised the motrin with applesauce then yogurt and we have every type of cup available:sippy cup, lid with straw, lid with no straw and a regular bottle.

I won't deny I am feeling quite frustrated with the health care system. Yes it is free and should not complain. But I am starting to see a trend here. Pediatricians are not very fond of "prevention". I asked a second opinion about the seasonal flu shot, the same flu shot that USA advocates giving at age of 6 months and so on. Here in Croatia the doctors see as a waste of time, an unnecessary poke.

Home remedies are quite popular though. At this point I am willing to try anything, including my mother-in-law's advice about using potatoes for the fever. It won't hurt Isabela and why not try it right? Well try explaining to your 18-month old why she has to walk around with potatoes slices drenched in vinegar on the soles of her feet. At first she squirmed and kept saying "socke," her word for socks and then she was stomping around trying to dislodge the potato slices from her feet. It was funny at the time and somehow we managed to distract her from them and you know what? she forgot about them and ended up walking all afternoon with the potatoes on her feet! Did it help with the fever?? Hard to say with all the medications she was taking and that evening she still had a 101 fever. We tried putting a new batch of slices in the evening but this time she cried and refused we opted for a warm bath.

Hope we are on our way to recovery. Over all she remains her active self and that is reassuring. Do you have any home remedies you would like to share? Like I said, we are willing to try anything and everything.

Y El Tiempo Pasa (And time passes by)

You would think as time passed by it would be easier to get used to being away from my parents and siblings. I know I have a new family now: my husband his family and our daughter. But being from Mexico I come from a close knit family and I always refer to my parents and sisters as my family. Do you also do that? Or do you say specifically I miss my parents...my sisters? Because when I tell my husband that I miss my family he tells me "but we are your family". And I know that is true but as far as the terminology I include: my parents, sisters even cousins and extended family members. Is it childish of me to say "I miss my mom?" Because lately I have been acting quite irritable. Happy then sad then angry and I can only attribute it to being homesick. My poor hubby has been very supportive trying to figure out what mood I am in and trying to cheer me up.




This is the longest time I have gone without seeing my family. I miss my Mom's home cooking. Her cheerful smile. My Dad's delightful stories about fishing. I know I am probably over reacting but writing it down seems to help for the time being. Also, technology really helps me keep in touch and calling them is a click away.

How we sometimes take for granted what we have right in front of our eyes...Hmm.... Is this suppose to be some sort of revelation? That I should live in the present? And that some time soon I will be able to travel back home to Iowa and visit my family? Many questions to think about. I should go now and make that call to my older sister. It's her birthday today!

Beautiful Women

Before having Isabela I used to spend hours perfecting my accessories for the day. What shoes matched my outfit, the right necklace, earrings, etc...Now as a mother my accessories consists of: stroller, purse/diaper bag and can't forget the sunglasses!

This morning as it was another sunny day with no BURA wind in the forecast I thought what a perfect day for a walk. I got ready and asked Beli to get her medo that we were leaving, she looked at me and said "pas?", I replied, "no, you can't take your dog". And this continued for about 5 minutes as she handed me every single toy and named them in the process, "hippo?", "monkey?", "book?" I kept replying "no, you can't take any toys just your medo." Finally we left the house with only her medo on hand and started our stroll along the beach.

Right away I could tell which women sitting at the various coffee shops and walking by were the MOMS. Yes, they were wearing my exact same accessories (stroller, diaper bag and sunglasses). Let me tell you every one wears sunglasses let it be sunny, cloudy, or evening it doesn't matter. Although I noticed some Moms did take extra time to be fashionable. How do they do it? I barely have enough time, or energy to take a shower and wear something decent. I admire maybe even envy these beautiful women who can wear high heels, have the big purse and the most beautiful dress and yet still manage to push a stroller down the cobblestone streets of Split. They make it seem so easy!

Not that I have stopped caring about my appearance but after checking off my mental list of everything I have to include in my purse/diaper bag: keys,phone,wallet, baby wipes,diapers,extra change of clothes, water, snacks, toys and getting Beli ready, two hours have gone by and already I am running late. So I just grab a pair of jeans, a decent blouse and pull hair back and out the door we go. You see I have to plan the day according to Isabela's nap time, otherwise she is not a happy camper.

So maybe as I learn more Croatian I will ask these beautiful women/moms what their secret is. And I promise when I find out, I will also let you in on the secret.

Warm weather has returned

Sunny weather is back to Split and so are the mosquitos! Poor Beli has three bites on one cheek and one BIG one on the other side and even though we tell her not to touch that is equivalent to her wanting to scratch it even more! Plus she is teething with fever and highly irritable. She screams for me and when I go to hold her but she doesn't want me to carry her. That is usually when she wakes up after her nap. After a few minutes of trying to figure out what toys we can use to distract her she is better.

In addition, her appetite has decreased which in turn has my father-in-law saying that "she looks like she has lost weight" and my mother-in-law saying there are cases of the swine-flu going around and that now we should think about that flu shot that previously she commented Beli didn't need because she is healthy and not at risk????

By now I am used to these kind of comments and they really don't bother me as I have 4 nephews and my parents are used to having sick children around them without panicking. My husband on the other hand is having a harder time accepting their advice. I say to him" Isabela is their first grandchild of course they are going to panic if she starts displaying any signs of illness."

All we can do is acknowledge their concern and say we are trying our best as parents. Now where is that pediatrician card so we can set up an appointment?

Belgrade

My husband's family in Belgrade could not wait for us to make the trip to see them this weekend. I had only met half of the family when they came to Split to visit us a few months back. In preparation for the trip, I bought gifts for the family,washed endless loads of laundry and cleaned the entire house. Why? I had no idea, I just felt the need for everything to be clean upon our return. The day prior I tried packing 5 day's worth of Isabela's and my clothes in one bag. Yeah, good luck with that!But somehow we did manage to fit stroller, high chair, suitcases, food,and toys all in our small trunk of our car!













It is normally a 7 hour trip, but it does not take into account the extra stops you will be making with a child on board, never the less Isabela did quite well as grandma was seating in the backseat and keeping her company. We arrived on Thursday evening with no problems or setbacks at the border. The family was waiting anxiously to meet us. Personally between you and me, I think they really wanted to see Isabela as she is the first niece on my husband's side of the family. They had endless toys for her and they won her over right away. I was thinking and how will we fit all these toys in our car?....And if you are wondering, yes this BIG purple elephant did make the journey back home with us!














As we toasted for our safe arrival and family reuniting, it made me feel a bit sad as I thought of my parents and sisters. But every family member of my husband's family are very loving and endearing and it makes it easier to live in a foreign country.

The next morning as we discussed the plans for the day over breakfast, we joked about how little sleep we had because Isabela was constantly waking up and wondering "where am I?", as she would sit up and look around the room and point to things in the dark. Over the next couple of nights she adjusted and we were able to sleep a little bit longer.



















We decided to do some sightseeing. This is Knez Mihajlova - one of the most popular pedestrian-only streets in Belgrade.

The Military Museum located in the Belgrade Fortress. Exhibits include weapons captured from the Kosovo Liberation Army, and from NATO special forces.

The

Belgrade Fortress, Zoo and Kalemegdan Park

The city still has existing buildings bombarded by NATO in 1999 and no repairs have been done. Are they left like this as a reminder of those times? This is the first time I've come face to face with the result of such conflict.

A few tid-bits I learned about Serbia. Their currency is called Dinar and 60 Dinars equals $1 dollar. Motorists drive wrecklessly! We were driving on a two lane highway, and cars were passing the passing vehicle! We called them Heroes! And then they park their cars on the sidewalk, when I asked "are you sure it is ok to park here?" the reply was "sure it's Belgrade!" Enough said.

Sunday came around and I was saddened as I thought about our departure. I had really connected with the family and their two daughters: Ana and Ines. We made plans to make another visit in the Spring. In the meantime, we promised to keep in touch via FB, Twitter and phone calls.

Do we over medicate our children?

When Beli got sick a few weeks ago with a minor cold and was having a runny nose I thought I would run to the pharmacy and purchase Benadryl. I have a degree in pharmacy so I knew what I was talking about when I tried asking the pharmacist for an antihistamine. But in spite of hand charades as I pointed to MY nose and performed loud snorting noises....it was useless..we were literally Lost in translation..in return she sold me a natural cough syrup..all natural she said with limited english. "We don't sell antihistamines or any medication for such a young age." I very well know homeopathy is the same as sugar water. All right I accept that: No medicine for your child.

Do you remember when the FDA ordered all OTC cold and cough products to be removed from the shelves of pharmacies and grocery stores? and parents felt helpless? Yeah, does how I felt: helpless and lost in translation.

The following week it was time for Beli's last series of the DTaP vaccine and I thought might as well and also request the seasonal flu shot. Imagine my dismay when the pediatrician told my husband and I that "he does not recommend the flu shot because there are so many different strains that one don't even know for sure if the flu shot will even be effective, plus your daughter is healthy". While this is partially true, I still believe it is the right of the parent to request it. So you don't recommend the flu shot I repeated back, "No" he said, "plus I don't even stock it." By now I am biting my tongue as to not to say anything rude or disrespectful. That was his opinion, I had mine. He was a nice person but I won't be coming back to see him again.

That night or the next morning, Beli developed a minor rash on her body and where is the benadryl when you need it???She also had a mild fever throughout the night and we ran out of infant's tylenol (which I brought with me from the states). I asked hubby if he could go to the pharmacy and purchase another bottle of tylenol(I keep saying pharmacy because unlike America you can't go to the grocery store and purchase any sort of supplement or medicine, you have to go to the pharmacy.)

Do you want to know what he brought back? A bottle of children's motrin. Hubby said "I showed the pharmacist the bottle" but he said "we carry no such product here in Croatia". Really??? I am glad Beli has no problems tolerating motrin. Her rash is almost gone and fever has subsided. So does this mean that the pharmacist was right in not selling me any medication(benadryl)? That they knew that if we just waited out that her symptoms would resolve on their own?

And so I came to this conclusion, Europeans are a healthy bunch. They don't take medication for every symptom they experience. Instead they resort to home remedies and natural products. And this is a good thing. So I should accept this norm and stop harassing those poor pharmacists who are only doing their job.

But one thing is for sure, I am determined to get that Flu shot!

Update on Construction Expo

As you know I have been giving you updates and telling you how I miss our beach view which has been replaced by these white tents. I really wanted to see what was on the other side of those tents. Well the wait is over and today was opening day of the Saso Fair. Even the president of Croatia attended!. And although I didn't see the president I did talk to a few vendors and had a wonderful morning. I think Isabela was the youngest attendee.

With six pavilions and over 200 vendors total, expect alot of traffic!


Red Shiny Tractors on the beach front in Zjnan.



I met a local celebrity. He appears on local tv preparing local cuisine. He was so fun to "talk" to.

The Saso Fair had more to offer than just construction equipment and it was great walking around and tasting some of the local wine. I tried one brand (already forgot the name) and it was sweet couldn't really taste the alcohol. Maybe that is why I purchased three bottles.

At least we won't have to deal with the traffic over the weekend as we will be traveling to Belgrade,Serbia tomorrow and returning next week.

See you then!

Constant Supervision

This is what happens when you leave the room for one minute...not even that, a few seconds! She is quick! I ran to the other room to get her clothes ready for her bath and come back and oh my.......................

Did I scream? No! Well Yes, but inside my head! then thought this is why you don't leave your chid unattended! Do you know how much this little bag costs? Yeah Isabela doesn't care..it is a new toy she discovered.....

Look at this way, now I have 3 different bags of wipes handy through the house, out of her reach of course. Wondering how long they will last before drying out?