Au Revoir (french); Tot ziens (flemish); Sayonara and Aloha L.A! ______________________________


Hi everyone!

As most of you know, Ray has accepted a 2-year assignment with Toyota's European Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. For those of you who do not know, Belgium is located next to France, Germany and the Netherlands. The home of NATO and the European Union, it is considered the "gateway to Europe" with its easy access to many European countries. (Hint, hint--good excuse to come and visit!)

Ray started his new position in February, 2008. The girls and I arrived here in late March. We are living just outside the city of Brussels in the commune of Tervuren, Belgium.

Although we are sad to temporarily leave our family and friends, we are excited for this adventure. What an opportunity to leave our tiny box and experience life outside of America!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Our Fallen Princess...

Life in Belgium is not always fun and games.

We were hit with a dose of reality this week when one of our little "princesses" fell seriously ill. DS had come down with a high fever, soon after arriving on a week-long holiday in the Netherlands, with mommy, PS, GM and GP. Worried mommy immediately took her to the doctor there, where she was prescribed with some medicine to address her fever.

Unfortunately, her fever remained high, so the vacation was cut short and DS came back to see her regular pediatrician in Brussels. She was immediately referred to a radiologist, who confirmed her pediatrician's suspicion: Poor little DS had come down with a serious case of pneumonia!

We rushed her off to the University Hospital in nearby Leuven, where DS was immediately admitted. She has since been on antibiotics and fever reducer that have thankfully improved her condition. With every passing day, she is looking much healthier and regaining a little more of her strength.

Mommy has been staying at the hospital every day with DS, while PS is being watched over by GM and GP. Daddy has been doing double duty at the hospital and at home, so needless to say, everyone has been busy...

We are grateful for the wonderful medical care that exists in Belgium. The experiences we have had with the doctors and the hospital has been first rate. The medical care in Belgium is heavily skewed towards the side of caution, so it has been very reassuring for us, during our first real experience as worried parents...

We are happy to report that DS should make a full recovery and we thank all of our friends and family for their well wishes and kind words. We hope to share pictures of a fully-recovered DS, experiencing life in Europe, very, very soon...

Thanks again to everyone...

Ray and Jo

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