Gracias Dr. Schneiderman

As only a mother can do, I went from calm to panicked in about five minutes Monday morning. All is well now, but it's been a stressful week full of ups and downs. It
actually started Sunday shortly after I trudged up the hill in hot and unusually
humid weather. I'd decided that Ila's illness was just a bug, and that she was having a day of recovery and would be fine shortly. No need for concern. But, when I reached the house I felt tension in the air. Mirta had discovered that Ila had a little fever, one a doctor in the States would tell us to ingnore. I´m pretty sure Mirta said she was reassured by the low temperature, but she then proceeded to tell me about several situations in which, despite her husband/doctor´s reassurances that all was well, she´d brought her kids to the hospital just in time to rescue them from some dire medical condition like appendicitis. Yes, I think this is when the seeds of panic were planted, but they didn't bloom until the next morning. Because Ila ate a little,drank a little. She played a little, and then she slept.

In the morning, she didn't have a fever at all, she was perky and had an appetite. But. Big But. Just before we left she started complaining of a belly ache again and drooped dramatically over the chair. My heart started beating a bit faster. I couldn´t help thinking of tainted spinach, parasites, kidney failure and pendicitis, and next thing I knew I´d declared that we would go to the hospital. Fortunately we thought better and asked teachers at our langauge school for some names of pediatricians. We got one, highly recommended, who was actually just blocks from the house.

The office opened late - receptionist out sick - and I sat outside holding limp-noodle Ila, allowing dramatic visions of tragedy to swarm in my mind as we waited and waited. Ah, but then I saw him. Our hero. I knew it was him. A tall handsome guy with an important looking bag. He got out of a car with four matching tires and no major dents. We watched, and hoped, that like the other hopefuls we´d spotted he too would turn into the panaderia instead of coming to the office, but he came. And he was nice. His name was Diego Schneiderman. Really, it was. And he told us we were right all along. With humor, sensitivity and careful attention, he examined Ila and told us it was just a bug that would clear up in a week. He was right and I think Peter and I would both marry him if we could. He took all our anxiety away. Now if only he could stay with us for the entire trip! Ila´s much better now. But it´s been a long week of worry and feeling far away from home.

Now it´s Thursday. It´s cold. After a wonderful dinner with Mirta last night during which we talked footbal, politics and history (in Spanish of course!) We had a long night of steady rain and the mountains are now capped with fresh snow. Tonight we´re taking Ila to what appears to be a play about the Little Mermaid at the library downtown and tomorrow after school, we´re planning an overnight trip to El Bolson a few hours away. Liz was here on Tuesday. We drove around in her giant Mitsubishi Delica "quatro por quatro" van and had a yummy pasta dinner. It was a treat to visit with Liz and we´re hoping to visit with her more on the Futaleufu river in Chile in mid- March. Mirta loved Liz´s car. She told Liz that for her, having such a car would be like having an orgasm. Well, there you go. Can´t top that.

Until next time...