A day with Erika

After bible study the morning I picked up Erika. We went to the market and got a bunch of fruits and veggies. If I buy things at the market they are super cheap, so I was able to purchase food for Erika to cook dinner for her family.

She decided to makes eggs, plantains and beans, with cheese and mantequilla. She chose watermelon and tangerines too. Papayas are supposed to clean out your guts and prevent parasites, so I grabbed one of those. Marjory feels great, but papaya will be good for her. I also grabbed some broccoli for the vitamins and made sure she knows how to cook it.

The lady who sells cheese gave us tastes of the cheese. She loved how Marjory ate the cheese from my hand while grabbing the cheese from her mother's hand. Marjory wasn't starving. She just loves food! "That girl is not a picky eater!" the cheese lady said, and cut another slice for her.

Erika is a concerned because Marjory lost five pounds when she was sick. She is paying close attention to Marjory's weight now, saying that as of today she gained back two pounds.

Marjory played with a toy in the car. She is one year and four months old, and she just got her first toys ever. Erika said Marjory doesn't want to let it out of her sight. Erika's boyfriend's father brought some toys home from his work. The way Erika told the story was really sweet. The boss of her boyfriend's father came across some toys and offered the toys to his workers. But none of the workers took them. So Erika's boyfriend's father said, "I have a little girl at home," and took them for Marjory. So sweet!

Erika seems happy. Her belly is getting big. I got to meet her boyfriend for the first time today. He works making "blocks" but today he had the day off. They couldn't work because they were out of cement. When we pulled up Marjory jumped into his arms. I don't know him well, but he made a good first impression.

We had to buy a birthday cake for Laura today. It was so fun to watch Marjory as she looked around at everything. She especially loved the soft blankets. She looked at toys, but the thing that caught her eye more than anything else was a book! I felt happy. It was a toddler's bible with bright colored pictures, cardboard pages, and short bible stories.

I told Erika that my Mom used to read me a lot of books and asked if she'd like to read to Marjory. She said yes. I read a few pages to Marjory, and pointed out all of the things in the pictures, showing her how my mother read to me. I am guessing Erika's Mom never read to Erika. I hope Erika will read to her kids. Marjory kept reaching for the book for the rest of the day.

We were going to take Marjory to a new park they just built by my house. But the sun was really hot so we ended up at Popeyes. Marjory had a good time at the playland. All of the kids were a lot older, but Marjory doesn't seem to notice. She is very well socialized. Erika and I shared a meal, enjoyed watching Marjory explore, and talked.

I've started to think about the fact that Erika is going to have another baby soon. I'm thinking about how it will effect Marjory and how it will take up so much of Erika's time. I am also thinking about the actual labor and delivery.

Erika will go to the infamous Hospital Escuela. Gosh, I hate even saying that. To be honest, my experiences, or rather, the experiences of people I know who went there, have been nothing but positive. But there are many, many horror stories and I know the stories are true.

I asked Erika how she feels about giving birth at Hospital Escuela. She said she is comfortable. I asked if they treated her well last time. She said yes. On November 23rd she will learn her due date and maybe learn the sex of the baby. I think it's a girl.

I am going to be nervous as the date get closer. It's times like this where I want to ask my friends for help so that Erika can go to a better hospital. But that is more about me than it is about Erika. She doesn't expect anything different. This is the situation Erika is in. She and her family are okay with it. Many women give birth at Hospital Escuela every day and they are fine.

Remind me of this when Erika is actually in the hospital. She'll be all by herself. Not even her mother can visit until she is released. Phones don't work in many parts of the hospital. There are no sheets on the bed, no pillows, no water, no pain reliever. Not even an ice pack. To US citizens it seems inhumane. To Hondurans who use the public health system, it is a fact of life. Ugh. I dread it already.

Getting her face painted with a Honduran flag
(there is a soccer game today)

Mmmm...  Ketchup