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April
26, 2005
"The
children..."
Each
member of our team (now five people remaining) is responsible
for consistently caring for a group of children. Of course we
help each other, especially since three team members are gone
now, but for the most part we try to stick with a group of children
so they get to know us. I am sharing the 14 non-mobile children
from age 6 weeks to 12 months with Mary Ann from Colorado. Each
morning we bring them from their cribs and hug and kiss them
while walking them to the group room from their cribs. For the
most part they have remained in the cribs since we put them
there when leaving at 4 p.m. the day before.
This,
our third week, has been different. These tiny children recognize
us as individuals and pull on our slacks... crawl to us... smile
at us and respond with their arms held out. My heart is just
so touched each day.
Little
Lilliana is like a sparrow, even though she's eleven months
old: so light and agile. She has been pulling up and standing
up and smiling and making bubbles at me all week. I feed her
in my lap because she takes the bottle slowly. Her big blue
eyes stare into mine. The eye contact is amazing. She's not
really crawling which is slow development.... but she's up on
all fours and rocking back and forth. I just love her.
Little
Viorel, twin to Marian, is our wiggle worm. He scoots rather
than crawls and is faster than a bullet. His legs are like a
mermaid's tail following him as he holds his head up and smiles.
Viorel seduces us so we pick him up!. He will, have a shoe fetish
for sure when he's older! He goes right to the sandals we step
out of as we walk in the room. He is happy and inviting and
the staff picks him up all the time. The message again is "it
pays to be cute". His picture is my desktop wallpaper and he
makes me smile each day. Viorel was two pounds when brought
in with all kinds of malnourishment. Now he is so very strong,
but still very small for his age. His brother is more demanding
and colicky but he has stolen Mary Ann's heart along with little
Mihai who purses his lips and smiles. Mihai was as wide as my
hand is December and is now healthy and active. His mother and
step-sister came in on Sunday when I was there alone and I asked
if she wanted a photo. She did and I will print and send it
along with others so she will have a record of his first six
months. The family had no money for food and brought him to
the clinic to be cared for. Her cousin is one of the aides.
Mihai likes the berry yogurt but makes a face when it first
goes into his mouth.
Little
Elena has eyes as big as saucers and just lights up when she
sees me. She is pulling up and standing while holding on to
something like a cradle or plastic baby thing. She's so feminine
and smiley. If I don't crush her with kisses she'll do well!
Mr.
Mihai (or Senor Mihai as I call him!) has grown faster than
he can manage!. He's smiley and loves us. Today he sat unassisted
for the first time. We had many rounds of "Bravo, Bravo" and
he just laughed. He needs more food than the one bottle each
child gets at 6:30, 9:30, 2, 4:30 and 7 p.m. So we consolidate
what the other smaller ones don't finish and hide the second
bottle under our chair so the staff doesn't see us. They are,
as they probably must be, focused on following the schedule.
Next time I will bring a stash of bottles for my "secret feedings".
The staff must keep to the schedule or things would get completely
out of control. Resources are scarce so everyone must stick
to the routine.
Octavian
and Dimitrou, twins who don't even look like they are from the
same planet, nevermind the same Mom, are lots of fun. I just
want to give them hugs and kisses!. Dimitrou is a great performer
and cries and cries until he gets your attention - and then
he stops on a dime!
Tomorrow
the Nebulizer that Bob and I bought for the hospital comes.
Not sure it's so necessary for the kids but Dr. Delia desparately
needs it for her chronic lung patients. The old one was so old
that the parts weren't available. The hospital facilities are
quite primitive - yet lots of things happen there. A 16 year
old girl came in with stomach pains last week and delivered
an unexpected baby. The room looks like the 19th century and
the emergency equipment and medicine is very limited. I got
the name of a company that donates medicines and will follow
up when I get home. They also need a blood analyzer.... and
soooooo many other things. For example someone gave the clinic
a One Touch glucose analyzer - but there is no money (nor local
availability) for the supplies you need for each use. We take
so much for granted in our American disposable society.
Tomorrow
we will give the staff a lesson in microwave cooking. None of
them have one at home so we are starting with basics. Almost
all of these women are the sole bread winners at $100 a month.
Their husbands have lost their jobs as the old and inadequate
factories were closed. Romania signed the European Accession
agreement yesterday and two years of negotiations on all kinds
of things like health care, wages, human rights, corruption,
education, veterinary medicine, etc. will occur so a schedule
and process to bring them up to European Union standards will
take place. If the negotiations are successful they will join
the EU in 2007 and the standards will be achieved over time.
Infrastructure is part of it with roads, water treatment, etc.
Last night we had a lesson in that in our hotel when the sewers
blocked up. They are trenches covered by pavers in the street.
not pipes. Men tore up the front of the hotel and literally
stood in the trenches with no gloves or boots and used buckets
to remove the raw sewage and sediment into large plastic bags.
They then had a fire hose and pushed things into the street.
it smelled something terrible for hours and blocks. There are
no building codes and things look good on the surface, even
in our new hotel. But pipes are too narrow, shower stalls overflow,
celings and wallboard get wet, water has to be turned off, etc.
It will be a long road ahead for Romania.
We
on the team hope we are making the road better and easier for
these wonderful babies. Wait till you see the new photos to
see how they have grown. It will be hard to leave them on Friday.
Miss
you all. I miss Bob too.
Not
a mosquito bite on a child this week with the new screens in!
Gloria
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