Melanie's is Thirteen!

 I regret missing most of Melanie's birthday. My excuse is I was up a lot during the night. For Daniel and myself. We began to realize just how far the facilities were from our beds. And now I begin to empathize with the Kleyn family's situation. Having a place to overnight in Veifaa, so that they can avoid the inevitable illness that strikes if they do the outing in one day, like we just did is very worthwhile. I would not want to go through feeling like this once or twice a month!

 Poor Daniel got sick too. And it was hard to recharge him, as he refused a lot of the possible foods when he was capable of keeping them down. He just didn't want to eat them. Being fussy in PNG is hard on you.

 Ugh. I feel worse than I look. Seriously. I think I suffered from heat exhaustion. Exhaustion sounds a bit mild for what I was feeling. I may have picked up a bug too.

 I slept off and on most of the day. And made long voyages to the very far away bathroom. If felt a mile away, or at the other end of the world, as I was rather weak. And worst of all was if when you showed up the facilities were occupied. And you'd sit shakily down on an empty chair if you could find one. And wait. It's a busy house after all. I think a conference was going on today. So I'm told. I remember occasionally it's Melanie's birthday and when feeling a bit brave, drag myself around so that I can capture a few shots of her on her special day.

 Melanie had a good day. Lots of kids to play with, and absolutely no work to do. And two birthday cakes. There was another guest over for the conference who also had a birthday that day!

 The kids enjoyed baseball.

 They didn't bother with the gloves...just a bat and ball was needed to get a good game going...and whatever you can find to use as a base.

In the evening Melanie opened up her cards and a small gift. We decided to give her some jewellery when we got home. So she could help pick out something.

 I'm so glad she was healthy and happy and had a great birthday! She did her best to assure me I didn't need to feel bad for neglecting her. (Just why does her mother think she wants an ill (or healthy, for that matter) mother hovering around her just because it's her birthday anyways?)

What a lovely young lady Melanie is turning out to be. She's a lot of fun to have around. She's creative and crafty. Helpful and considerate. We are so happy to take you to the far ends of the world to share these experiences with us! (Hopefully I don't share my sickness!)