UPDATE: 11/26/08: Telma was reintegrated today....her brother came to pick her up this evening. She will spend tonight in Maputo, and then they will make their 12 hour journey by chapa (minivan-buses) to northern Mozambique. She was very very tearful tonight. Please pray for their safe journey, for her quick adjustment, for her family's open arms, and for God's protection over their crops this flood season (as she is another mouth to feed).
UPDATE 11/20/08: Martinha 1 was reintegrated today....she went home to live with her father. Please pray for her and her family as they adjust and she gets used to the idea that it's not just a visit, but forever. It's hard at this age to explain. Also, her father isn't as thrilled as Martinha is for the reunion. Pray a change of heart!
as my director, Ros, likes to say.
Two of our BH tots are going to be reintegrated......
Martinha 1 (pictured above being prayed over by other BH tots and tias) will probably go to live with her father really near the center sometime this week. She's really excited about it. We are happy to see her be rejoined with family. Her mother died and she was only here as a help to the family financially when she was a tiny baby and really requiring a lot of formula and attention. She is 4 now and quite a "big girl." Pray Martinha and her father adjust quickly to the new living arrangements and that the "settling in" period doesn't last too long, as Martinha can be quite a handful when she wants to be; pray for love and grace and mercy as her father is learning all about his beautiful daughter and attempting to reform a relationship with her.
Telma (pictured above on the left with Martinha 1 and not quite as thrilled about it) was abandoned here 4 years ago when she was a baby and we had a hard time finding family after that, as they live 8 hours north of here. The family resurfaced a few months ago and took her to visit for 6 weeks. She will go when her brother comes for her between now and Christmas. He works in the city for 6 weeks at a time and then brings the money back to his family. This time (hopefully) he will be bring Telma home to live with them forever. We are really praying on this one as the rains have already begun very early this year in the northern part of the country and that will affect the harvest. We are afraid that they might not want an extra mouth to feed and just not show up for her. Please join us in prayer as we would love to reunite this family and that upon reunion it would be an easy transition with God providing for all their needs.
And the most exciting new of the week....well for me....and Dionisio is......
ok, 2 things:
Dionisio's eating! I have proof.
Everyday, twice a day, i have been having chefe Dionisio time....which means chief D and I hideout in the back in my nursing closet in his chefe cadeira (bumpo throne) and eat baby food. We started with Yogurt-his very favorite and moved to apples-a tried and true staple for him and I even have him eating baby cereal and carrots! whoo hoo. consistently eating 2 solidish meals a day without vomiting on me for an entire week! PROGRESS! So I'm going to try even more things this weekend and we'll go from there. I'm hopefully putting him on 3 a day meals with bottles quasi every 4 hrs during the day up until midnight and then a 6 hour straight sleep for nights. I'm just hoping it sticks and that he grows. He's seriously weighed the same thing for 6 months now. Not cool for a 9 month old. Problem child.
Eyeore all messy (though this is a good day) after eating yogurt with 2 spoons-one for me, and one for him when he likes to help.
The best news: The nursery (for 0-6 monthers) is opening on Monday! With Lucilia, as you know, the first official resident.....but yesterday Ros, the director, came to me and asked how I would feel about moving Dionisio with her as well. Well, I jumped on that train. I've been really praying and feeling in my heart that he really needs a small home to thrive. He's not getting it in the BH for lack of time, hands, and too many babies. It's just the nature of center life...which is why we are starting the Bercario (nursery) for the itty bitties that don't have moms and dads and need a lot of TLC. My latest gut reaction is that Dionisio has failure to thrive syndrome-his mom dyed immediately after birth, then he was really sick for the first 3 months of his life and lived in a hospital with no caretaker since his father abandoned him there (the caretaker is the person who does EVERYTHING for children in the hospital-feeds, diaper changes, baths, meds, linen changes....everything.; so you can imagine what quality bonding experience a newborn abandoned infant would get here). Then he came to us, still really sick, and lived in a house with 30 some odd other babies vying for very little attention. He never cries for attention or coos or "talks" like normal babies; he never reaches for food, or has an desire to do anything new developmentally....he's quite content to sit in a chair or lay on a mat all day long by himself making pouty eyeore faces. I believe with consistent one-on-one care, attention, love, and help he could be a changed boy! I've already seen signs of it...he just needs to strongly attach to someone that's around him all the time! So on Monday, he's going to live in the nursery for a few months till we decide what's best for him next....and at the present it's a 1:1 baby to tia ratio. He's going to get lots of loving....cause Lucilia sleeps most of the day (and night) away! High five Dionisio! (except he doesn't do this yet or anything else remotely normal for a 9 month old.
Wanna know something cool? all of us involved-Ros (director), me and other erin (nurses), Neil/Hilda (director of nursery), and Tracey (director of BH) all think it's a marvelous idea and have been really feeling individually that it's what needed to happening without talking to anyone. How cool is God! Now, lots of prayers that this works for him. I want to see him with a renewed heart and spirit; a boy filled with life and joy; smiles that don't take 10 minutes to get!
Let praying commence.....NOW!
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