*We started off the week with five less volunteers. Needless to say, the baby situation was slightly chaotic (in terms of a higher baby-to-volunteer ratio), yet slightly not, because we were stepping over each other less.
*Monday, I spent the second half of the morning inside with Ion, Andrei, Andreea, and Petre, and at one point, Ana-Maria came in and plopped herself in my lap. I wish I’d gotten a picture of myself in the midst of those kids because that would have made an awesome photo for the thank-you cards I’m going to send out when I get home.
*When I went in to give Big Andreea a kiss at naptime on Monday, Sami stood up in his crib, cried, reached out his arms, and called me “Mama.” That’s the all-encompassing term of endearment used for caretakers at the clinic, so all the volunteers (well, the females) are referred to as “Mama.”
*In the afternoon, I found Eve and Susan in the mobile playroom with Alexandra, Ana-Maria, and Big Andreea. The radio was on, and Eve, Susan, and Alex were dancing up a storm, with Ana-Maria getting in a few moves whenever she felt like it. Alex was laughing so hard, as was Andreea!
*Petre threw up on me yesterday (aka Tuesday). Not just a little throw-up, it was a whole-bottle throw-up. All over my shirt and my pants. I wiped up the mess, and as soon as an aide took him to change his clothes, I ran back to the hotel to change mine. Ick. Threw my dirty clothes in the sink for a quick rinse so they wouldn’t stink too badly while I waited to do laundry.
*Becca put hairbows in the little girls’ hair yesterday. Well, the girls who had ENOUGH hair to hold a hairbow! A few of the girls were very good about keeping their barrettes in, but others pulled them out almost immediately.
*Last night, we went to Barlad for dinner at Alona again. Before dinner, we were able to go to the Penny Market (where I bought a CD) and a bookstore (where I bought a copy of The Little Prince in Romanian). At the restaurant, our group was divided into two tables, which was eneficial to actual conversation. We discussed everything from mosquito bites to child development to Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (and when Trevor tried to say the names of the dwarves too quickly, he slipped and called Sneezy “Sleazy.”)
*This morning, a few of the kids were pretty cranky. I couldn’t get Big Andreea comfortable in any position. Eventually, Eve got the idea to put her in a walker, and she liked that, but any time her legs stretched out, the walker seemed to tip back a little, and it made me nervous.
*This afternoon was a lot better. The kids were in a great mood after their naps. Andrei is still feeling under the weather, though, and he hardly ate anything today. And Marius had tummy troubles this morning and was given special bottles throughout the day.
*There was an earthquake in the Black Sea this morning, and they could feel it in Bucharest! It was a 5.5 on the Richter scale.
*A big storm came upon us around 5:00 this afternoon. Lots of rain, thunder, lightning, and hail. By the time it died down, it was already past the 6:00 feeding time, so we missed that shift. :-( I went over to the clinic for the “play and put to bed” shift for the first time tonight, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Played with a few of the kids, did the “baby shuffle” for diaper changes, danced with Maiastra (quite a workout!), and Alexandra let me hold her. Granted, it was because she thought I might take her somewhere, but still.
So here it is, I'm all caught up, and hopefully I'll stay that way the rest of the time I'm here. And now, some pictures.
I tried to get a shot of Andrei sitting up by himself, but I didn't catch it until he was falling.
Big Andreea
Marius
Gabriela
Ema-Elena
Alina
Ionela
Amy & Maria
Eve & Andreea
Ion
Sami
Lea-Celine
Petre
Alexandra
Gabriela
Maiastra figured out how to make herself a window using a piece of plastic and the playground fence.
Ion is a little ladies' man. Look at his arm on Gabi's back!On Monday, I decided that a personal goal for the rest of my time here is to get up the courage to hold Maria-Cleopatra. I was so afraid to hold her, that I'd do something wrong and make her uncomfortable or something. Well, today I fulfilled my goal. Amy J. handed Maria over to me, and I held her for a few minutes. She didn't seem to mind too much. :-)
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