ONE MONTH

We have been at Cradle of Love for four weeks now and although the initial shock has worn off, there are still many times when I don’t know what is going to happen next. This week was probably the most eventful with three new babies arriving (2 month old Georgina and 11 month old twins Mishric and Chadric), and two toddlers leaving. Philip and Maria are each nearing four years old and are HIV positive. They were able to be placed in a government run home for children with HIV. We were both sad to see them go and happy for them to have a home to grow up beyond what the baby home here can provide for them. We hope we will be able to visit sometime.

There was also a wedding party that stopped by last weekend, complete with marching band, three truckloads of bridal party members, and lots of dancing. They wanted to begin their life together with an act of charity, which was much appreciated by the staff here. I did not have my camera with me upon their arrival and was only able to get one shot of the bride & groom’s truck as it was leaving, but I know Davona has posted some photos on the Cradle of Love web site.

Last weekend we also took our first field trip with the toddlers to a local animal sanctuary. There were zebra, monkey, porcupine, one lone crocodile, and many different types of birds. Even more fun than seeing the animals was the car ride. The kids loved it, especially the older boys, Philip, Simon, and Cory. “Gari! Gari!” they kept shouting the entire two mile trip.

Well, it’s taken me awhile to learn, but I think I’m now proficient at putting cloth diapers on the kids. The nannies no longer take my “work of art” and re-wrap the child properly. I’m no where near as quick as the experts, but I feel good knowing that I can get the job done. I’m also more skilled at bathing the kids, which at first involved a lot of kicking and screaming by both me and the child. I suppose I’m not the only one who has made it to thirty one having never done either of these tasks in my life.

Emily has been working with the toddlers this week during classroom time to learn shapes. They started by learning a circle the first day and were able to turn two circles into a “gari” (i.e. car). The second day was a square, which turned into a house, and the third day was a star. What’s next?