Tuesday, February 7, 2006, 11:02 a.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Kendra~

What can I say but what a cutie your little Evan is! What a picture, and what a charmer! He looks like a very happy little boy! Good for you; I am so happy that you and the girls have accepted him so readily! The love and care you give to him should take care of any nightmares that he is currently experiencing. I know that my kids from Sri Lanka have them from time to time, and it isn't uncommon for me to be ripped from a sound sleep by one of them screaming. I just wonder what horrors they may have witnessed back in Sri Lanka---it boggles the imagination, and it stabs my heart so to see them suffering from painful memories!

Speaking of my kids from Sri Lanka, I have a bit of bad news concerning our youngest, Arjun, who will be two in a month. He is currently in the hospital. He had been suffering from a cough and a runny nose, and yesterday, his breathing sounded bad; so we ended up having to call an ambulance for him. He is now in the PICU, where he is receiving oxygen via ventilator (so his lungs can rest, the nurses said) and medications through an I.V. line, and according to the nurses when I talked to them this morning, he had a pretty restful night. I spent a good chunk of yesterday at the hospital with Arjun, and it was so hard seeing him hooked up to the vent and to EKG wires, and he looked so pathetic. All I could do was whisper desperate prayers to Heaven and shed tears of worry for him. He has RSV, and he may have caught it from one of the children in his daycare class at church. Or he may have got it from when we went to Fire Mountain last week; there were a lot of kids sneezing and hacking, and it was bound to happen. But when it is your own child who is sick, you worry more, and you wonder what is going to happen. Be praying for him and his recovery. I will keep you abreast of his situation, but right now, he is a very sick little boy. Any prayers for him (or US) will be very much appreciated!

Johnny will laugh when he finds out that Rebekkah Cohen has a crush on him. That is so nice of her to think of him enough to send him a package in the mail! :) I am so glad to hear that she danced in "Swan Lake"; that was a dream of hers, I know, and I bet she was the belle of the ball! I do hope that doctors can find a solution to her problem, but from what I have read, it sounds like she is doing splendidly at the present time! Good for her! :) Tell Rebekkah that we all say hello, and that we still think of her from time to time! (I will let you know when the package comes; Johnny will be so THRILLED! :) )

It sounds like your girls (and BOY) still keep you pretty busy. 'Course, not NEARLY as busy as ME with FIFTY-THREE kids, but who's counting?? LOL It's the LOVE in your heart that counts, NOT the number of children you happen to be raising! LOL I am also glad to know that Louisa Mason and her family is doing well. Please tell Jeff and Louisa (and their kids) that we say hello, too! :)

How is the weather there in Soulsbysville? Here it is cold; we had SNOW yesterday (several inches, in fact!), and the kids had a ball making snowmen, throwing snowballs at one another, and sliding down the hill in our yard on makeshift sleds and garbage can lids! LOL It doesn't take much for them to cook up some entertaining ways to sled, does it?? LOL When it comes to ideas, my kids are some of the CLEVERIST ones around! :) But then our joy was tempered by the fact that little Arjun is in the hospital, fighting for his life, and they have been worried about him. They have been quieter this morning, and they know that he is sick, and they are wondering how things will turn out. I told them to pray for their little brother, and to make him a get-well card that I will take with me when I see him in the PICU. I hope the weather there is co-operating!

Well, I am at work, and I am going to get something to eat before I clock back in from break or else I will miss out. My tummy is rumbly as Winnie the Pooh says, and the nurses sitting around me are giving me strange looks. LOL I will write more later, and I will let you know as to how Arjun is faring. Take care, dear friend, and God bless you all mightily! Give your little guy a special (((HUG))) and kissies from his (adopted) Tante Louie! (I adopted him as my own, only you don't know it yet--but you do NOW! LOL) Love and miss you!

(((HUGS))) (for the REST of the gang!) and love, your Tennessee friend, Louie May. :) (trying to smile through the tears of worry for Arjun)