21 months 22 days

Day 661. Last night I went to bed at 1:30. Thank God they all had a good night, as we're nearing the end of their fever bouts. This morning it was actually 8:20 before I got up because Emmy was the loudest. They had slept well. And they also ate more for breakfast again, thank God. I cleaned them up and dressed them and went downstairs with Tammy and Emmy. I turned on worship music and started worshipping God and praying. I had Tammy on my arm, while doing so, and then Emmy joined us, on my other arm, and together we were twirling around for God, and I also prayed for them. Until they got too heavy for my arms. When Sammy joined us, we sat down to read the Bible together, until Randy came with his breakfast. Then it was time for me to grab the computer and go upstairs to clean up and do office work. Normally they just wave good-bye at me, but not today. I had a screaming baby clinging to me, wanting me to stay, so I stayed another minute or two.

At 10:30 Randy put Sammy to bed again, like he's been doing for the last few days. It was his second day of having a fever, though it was never as high as his sister's. Just before 11 am I stopped working and started cooking. At 11:30 it was ready, and they all came upstairs to eat. The noise woke up Sammy, who joined us. It was pasta with meat and tomato sauce, which they like, at least Tammy and Emmy, and so they finally ate more than they've been doing the last few days. It was still quite a mess. The girl is better at using her spoon, but she loses a lot on the way to her mouth. Emmy puts less on his spoon, and likes using his fingers, so he loses less. Sammy always wants to feed himself, even though he can't use a spoon and not all food can be eaten with fingers. When they were done, I got out the handheld vaccuum cleaner, and Emmy got immediately upset. Actually as soon as I mention it. But it sure is a great help when pasta is all over the floor, and he quieted down while I was using it, and then said "good-bye" to it, when I put it away.

I cleaned them up and dressed them again. Emmy still had elevated temperature and was pretty tired, so I put him to bed earlier. At first he was crying and clinging to me, so I held him a little longer. At 12:30 I finally got im to lie down and he fell asleep quickly. That way the girl also got to lie down earlier than usual, which was helpful, as we had to leave as early as possible after the afternoon meal.

Sammy stayed in the baby swing, while I was cleaning up and Randy was getting ready to be able to go downstairs, and then Sammy went downstairs as well to be with Daddy, and I went back to work. Emmy woke up first, as usual, after about 75 minutes, and he would not go back to sleep on me, so I took him downstairs. The girl slept a little longer, and then I called the others upstairs for the afternoon meal. We have Amazon's Alexa devices, and so I can make an announcement that broadcasts in every room, starting with a dinner bell. It's pretty practical.

The girl always needs time to wake up all the way, wants to be held and does not want to eat right away. Emmy was in his chair, and she was on my lap. Emmy was eating most of the jar, and then I had him in my arm, and he ate some pure peanut butter, and so did Tammy and Sammy. A good way to get lots of calories. Then we dressed them and left the house at 3 pm.

Randy's permit to stay in Austria is running out in two months, and so it's time to apply for an extension. I could not find the right form online, and so we decided to stop at the immigration office to pick one up. Last year we had to do this at a different place, as we had not moved yet, and we simply filled out the form there and put it in a box. So there was a good chance it was as easy at that. It was supposedly 15 minutes to get there, and it closed at 3:30, so we expected to make it.

We took the subway, and then had to walk. The office was inside the biggest stadium of Vienna, which is funny, I think, and we should have circled around it the other direction, as it would have been a lot closer. It was really hot, and I don't have any sunglasses right now. We got there at 3:29 pm, and it was already closed. So much for that. At least we now know where it is. And tonight I searched online again, and suddenly found the form, that we just have to fill out and mail in.

We got back on the subway and continued to our next errand. After the subway, we still had to take a tram, and then walk a little to the store, where they make special medical shoes. We had the paper from the hospital that said what Sammy needed, and was also the paper for the insurance to cover the cost. The lady in the shop told me they could not do it, because there was only one guy and he was busy, and we needed to come back another day. I told her we had come from the other end of town, but that made no difference. We had to leave empty-handed. So both our errands today did not work out, and our whole trip was for nothing.

They had been in the strollers for a while at that point, and so I looked on my phone where the nearest playground was, and we started walking. It was really small, but nobody was there, and it was perfect for their age. There was also no sun protection, and it was really hot. There was a little slide, but it was made of metal which was burning hot and would have burnt their legs, as they were wearing shorts. Tammy was really busy with the wheelbarrow, filling it up with mulch. She was so concentrated and determined, and filled it to the brim! Sammy and Emmy got to swing a little bit, and Emmy was the first to find the sandbox, and Tammy then followed him there and became as concentrated and busy with the sand there. She really enjoyed it.

I noticed that Emmy's face was turning red, and so we decided it was time to leave. I knew that they would not want to leave yet, and certainly not go back into the strollers. I got Emmy in, but ended up carrying Tammy at the same time as pushing the stroller with Emmy. As we walked towards the tram stop, there was a fountain, and I used it to wash the sand off of Tammy's feet, hands and face. She was getting pretty heavy, but we made it to the tram stop, where she went back into the stroller, even against her will. After the tram, we still had to take the subway back home, where we arrived just in time for me to start making their dinner, at 5:30. Randy went downstairs with them. Tammy was pretty cranky. She's been coughing all day, though I think it's less than yesterday, and I hear her cough at times even while she's sleeping.

Sammy was really tired, and therefore cranky, as he had only slept one hour from 10:30 to 11:30 and not had his afternoon nap. So I went as fast as possible and called them upstairs to eat at 6 pm. They ate a little at the table, and then went into the bathtub. But they ate little there as well. A lot of food stayed on their plates. And I could not get Sammy to eat either. Then we brought out the cereal with milk they always have at the end and usually like drinking. But then Tammy saw Sammy's special high-calorie drink, and so she did not want the other one any more. As Sammy did not want it, it was Tammy and Emmy who finished it off, as we could not keep it until tomorrow.

Then they came out, we put their pj's on, and they went to bed. They all fell asleep fast. I got some food and started working, when Emmy started crying and needed me. I had to sit down by his bed and stay, until he fell asleep, and then I could go back to work.

Now it's nearly 1 am, and all the work is done. Tommorrow is another busy day, so I hope they all be healthy and happy again.