First a couple notable things from the past several days: Celine is in Iasi, where she was being fitted for leg braces and getting ten days of physical therapy. Cristi is in Barlad, where he is getting a certificate of being handicapped—something he needs to be reevaluated for every year, despite the fact that one doesn’t grow out of Down syndrome. Raul left on Thursday to see a dermatologist in Barlad. On Wednesday (or maybe Tuesday) I watched Raul get his bandages changed. It is something I never want to see again, as I’ve never seen anyone in that much pain before, but I’m glad I saw it; it makes me more aware of the parts of his body I should avoid when picking him up, so as not to cause him pain, and it also makes me understand his condition better.
Now onto the “real” update. I had the “team journal” today, so I’ll just copy down what I wrote in it tonight. Expect an update on my weekend trip to Sighisoara later this week.
It all started when someone dropped a baby—-or so I thought. I had been asleep at 5am, dreaming a dream that involved a baby, when all of a sudden, I heard a loud noise and, in my state of unconsciousness, I thought, “Oh my God, someone dropped the baby!” I then woke up and realized that the noise had only been from Kristen (my awesome roommate) banging her head on the bedside table. Thankfully, the events of the day went uphill from there, with many exciting and notable incidents occurring.
The award for the Cutest Personality of the Day goes to Mihaela. She was the most adorable little mama today as she kissed and petted socks, leaves, and sometimes even the other children. From saying “bye, Petre” to “holding” her sister and saying “Gabi” to putting butterfly wings on her baby doll, Mihaela showed that beneath her often-rambunctious exterior, she also has a very loving and sensitive side. She also made me realize that I should keep my camera ready whenever she’s around, after I missed the most adorable shot of her running to hug her buddy Andreea.
The biggest event of the day was Maria-Cleopatra’s second birthday party. We gathered the kids and aides in the mobile playroom in the afternoon to sing to her, and some of the kids had cupcakes to help celebrate. This was a huge milestone for Maria; last summer, it seemed like every day I would secretly wonder, “is today the day?” Now it seems that in some ways, she’s not even the same little girl. Gone are the days when volunteers would shut up just to hear her laugh—a rare occurrence back then, it now happens every day. While her condition hasn’t improved, she has come very far. Now she is a recognized presence in the room—not because of her disability, but because of her personality.
This is my second team this summer, and it is a great one, as evidenced by the wonderful progress of many of the kids in the past week. Alexandra has been working on eating with a spoon, something she did two years ago, and today she ate her lunch all by herself! Roxie has been practicing standing and has really opened up in the past week; she is more interactive and expressive. It seems like Daria will bypass crawling and go straight to walking, and Marius takes more and more independent steps every day. Gabi, now out of isolation, is standing more, and Alina eats yogurt! The mobile kids have been practicing with spoons, and Roxie, Daria, and Alina want to get in on the spoon action, too. Nicoletta weight in at 9.5 pounds this morning, and she ate her entire noon bottle for me!
Paula ate some yogurt today, and she has improved in the past week, as well. She is more calm and willing to spend time outside of the usual happy confines of her crib and the jumper. She’ll play the piano on the floor, search the toy hamper for her keys, walk down the hall with someone, help Whitney push the stroller, and even venture outside!
A few of the mobile kids worked on potty training today, which I found out after I wondered why I heard Andreea screaming all the way down the hall. When she, Mihaela, and Ion were finished, Andreea came in, pouting, and sat with Jane before we realized she was still diaper-free!
I always struggle with how to end journal entries like this… If I try to be too profound, it ends up sounding cheesy and totally unlike me, but if I end it abruptly, I feel like I’m leaving something unfinished. So I’ll just say that tomorrow, we look forward to Lea-Celine’s return, as well as many more smiles, giggles, hugs and kisses, precious moments, and…well, you get the idea. ;-)
I'll post a lot of pictures tomorrow to make up for what I'm not posting now, as it is my bedtime. Good night!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Days 18-21
I got behind on the blog, and then-—due to renovations in the hotel restaurant—-the internet was shut off for a few days. I’ll try to summarize the key points of the past few days, but then I want to touch on something that’s been going through my mind this week.
*Mihaela and Gabi’s parents visited at lunchtime on…Wednesday, I think!
*Alexandra came back from Iasi, while Celine went TO Iasi. Alex has stitches in her leg and was separated from the kids for the first day, but then she was allowed back in with them part-time.
*Roxie was practicing “standing” and weight-shifting on Nestor, the blue donkey, and she fell off and bit through her lip(s). Lots of blood, some of which got on my shirt. But she’s okay.
*I haven’t seen Cristi since Wednesday, and Mihaela said he might have gone for evaluations, though nobody told her about it.
*Ionut is getting better at his head control; on Friday, I had him in the bouncy seat and he kept lifting his head. I also found his tickle spot, in case I haven’t mentioned it—he (sometimes) loves to have the left side of his back scratched. If I get him at the right moment, he’ll laugh like crazy.
*Raul has begun to try rolling over.
*Andreea, Roxana, and Paula are allowed in the playroom now! Gabi was allowed in for a morning but then she got a fever again.
*Unfortunately, Maria has spent more time in her crib than out of it. I just don’t have the upper-body strength to lift her. One day this week, I came in and an aide handed me a bottle for her before lifting her out of the crib and into my arms. I did okay for a few minutes, but she’s SO heavy, it hurts my arm when her head rests on it, plus I’m always afraid that I’ll move wrongly and hurt her. I’ve visited her as much as I could this week, though, and she’s been quite content.
*Little Mihaela likes to crawl into the cupboard in the preschool room, shut the doors, and then pretend to cry because she wants out.
*Friday afternoon when I left, I stopped by the playground to say “Pa” (“Bye”) to the preschool kids. Malika tried to get them all to say “pa” and give me a “pup” (a kiss), and she said “Bon voyage!” because she thought I was leaving. I told her I’m staying for three more weeks, and I’m not sure she understood me, but she did say “Bine!” haha
Now I have to say that I’ve been struggling this week, and it’s not only because I was the only volunteer at the clinic. I told you a few days ago that Raul has been lethargic. Well, he started getting fevers last weekend, and he’s been on children’s pain medicine, as well as antibiotics, so that explains the lethargy. A couple days ago, I went in to see him and there was blood all over his mouth and his arm; as it turns out, he’s gotten more blisters in his mouth, on his lips, and on his tongue, and he’s been biting inside his mouth, hence the blood. Friday morning was the worst I’ve since him—-he was crying because he was in pain, and almost nothing would soothe him. I couldn’t pick him up because he wasn’t entirely dressed or wrapped. I sang to him a little and rested my hand on his chest, and that helped a little, but he was still very miserable, of course.
I hated that I couldn’t do much for him (although he WAS happier in the afternoon—almost certainly because he had another dose of pain reliever). The first thing I thought of when I was told of his fevers and the antibiotic was, “Does he have an infection?” He looked so much better than I was expecting when I first met him, and he was in such good spirits, I wonder if I allowed it to make me think the situation wasn’t as serious as it might be. But at the same time, if you know me at all, you know that I overthink things and worry a lot. The thing is, I know that with children who have EB, it’s infection that can be fatal, not the blisters themselves. So I’m right to be concerned about this…right? I mean, I’m not thinking, “Oh my God, he’s going to die from this infection.” Of course not. But I’m also recognizing that, if it IS an infection, there IS that possibility. I’m trying to be realistic without being fatalistic, I guess.
So yeah…needless to say, I’ve been thinking about Raul a lot this week, especially because I couldn’t spend as much time with him as I wanted. On Friday, when he just kept crying because he was hurting, of course I found myself crying right along with him; in this way, I understand when other volunteers have told me they weren’t sure if they could go in and see him because it was so sad…But at the same time, I kind of feel like that’s selfish, in a way. We’re here for the kids’ well-being. I’m not suggesting that any of the other volunteers came here for selfish reasons, but I personally would feel selfish if I put my comfort before Raul’s. Sure, it’s sad to see him—-or any other child-—in pain, but his pain and loneliness are more important than my sadness. I think that, at this point, there are only two things that he wants: to not hurt and to not be alone. I may not be able to do much about the first, but I can sure as hell give him the second while I’m here.
It’s Saturday as I write this, and the next team will be arriving in a few hours. I have already told Mihaela that I want Raul as my “assignment” for the next three weeks, and possibly Nicoletta, as well, but she will depend on the other volunteers. Speaking of other volunteers, Susan—who was on my team last year—will be on this team! So excited to see her again!
Note: It's now Monday and the internet is (finally) back on! No pictures today, though, as it's late, it's storming (finally), and I'm going to bed.
*Mihaela and Gabi’s parents visited at lunchtime on…Wednesday, I think!
*Alexandra came back from Iasi, while Celine went TO Iasi. Alex has stitches in her leg and was separated from the kids for the first day, but then she was allowed back in with them part-time.
*Roxie was practicing “standing” and weight-shifting on Nestor, the blue donkey, and she fell off and bit through her lip(s). Lots of blood, some of which got on my shirt. But she’s okay.
*I haven’t seen Cristi since Wednesday, and Mihaela said he might have gone for evaluations, though nobody told her about it.
*Ionut is getting better at his head control; on Friday, I had him in the bouncy seat and he kept lifting his head. I also found his tickle spot, in case I haven’t mentioned it—he (sometimes) loves to have the left side of his back scratched. If I get him at the right moment, he’ll laugh like crazy.
*Raul has begun to try rolling over.
*Andreea, Roxana, and Paula are allowed in the playroom now! Gabi was allowed in for a morning but then she got a fever again.
*Unfortunately, Maria has spent more time in her crib than out of it. I just don’t have the upper-body strength to lift her. One day this week, I came in and an aide handed me a bottle for her before lifting her out of the crib and into my arms. I did okay for a few minutes, but she’s SO heavy, it hurts my arm when her head rests on it, plus I’m always afraid that I’ll move wrongly and hurt her. I’ve visited her as much as I could this week, though, and she’s been quite content.
*Little Mihaela likes to crawl into the cupboard in the preschool room, shut the doors, and then pretend to cry because she wants out.
*Friday afternoon when I left, I stopped by the playground to say “Pa” (“Bye”) to the preschool kids. Malika tried to get them all to say “pa” and give me a “pup” (a kiss), and she said “Bon voyage!” because she thought I was leaving. I told her I’m staying for three more weeks, and I’m not sure she understood me, but she did say “Bine!” haha
Now I have to say that I’ve been struggling this week, and it’s not only because I was the only volunteer at the clinic. I told you a few days ago that Raul has been lethargic. Well, he started getting fevers last weekend, and he’s been on children’s pain medicine, as well as antibiotics, so that explains the lethargy. A couple days ago, I went in to see him and there was blood all over his mouth and his arm; as it turns out, he’s gotten more blisters in his mouth, on his lips, and on his tongue, and he’s been biting inside his mouth, hence the blood. Friday morning was the worst I’ve since him—-he was crying because he was in pain, and almost nothing would soothe him. I couldn’t pick him up because he wasn’t entirely dressed or wrapped. I sang to him a little and rested my hand on his chest, and that helped a little, but he was still very miserable, of course.
I hated that I couldn’t do much for him (although he WAS happier in the afternoon—almost certainly because he had another dose of pain reliever). The first thing I thought of when I was told of his fevers and the antibiotic was, “Does he have an infection?” He looked so much better than I was expecting when I first met him, and he was in such good spirits, I wonder if I allowed it to make me think the situation wasn’t as serious as it might be. But at the same time, if you know me at all, you know that I overthink things and worry a lot. The thing is, I know that with children who have EB, it’s infection that can be fatal, not the blisters themselves. So I’m right to be concerned about this…right? I mean, I’m not thinking, “Oh my God, he’s going to die from this infection.” Of course not. But I’m also recognizing that, if it IS an infection, there IS that possibility. I’m trying to be realistic without being fatalistic, I guess.
So yeah…needless to say, I’ve been thinking about Raul a lot this week, especially because I couldn’t spend as much time with him as I wanted. On Friday, when he just kept crying because he was hurting, of course I found myself crying right along with him; in this way, I understand when other volunteers have told me they weren’t sure if they could go in and see him because it was so sad…But at the same time, I kind of feel like that’s selfish, in a way. We’re here for the kids’ well-being. I’m not suggesting that any of the other volunteers came here for selfish reasons, but I personally would feel selfish if I put my comfort before Raul’s. Sure, it’s sad to see him—-or any other child-—in pain, but his pain and loneliness are more important than my sadness. I think that, at this point, there are only two things that he wants: to not hurt and to not be alone. I may not be able to do much about the first, but I can sure as hell give him the second while I’m here.
It’s Saturday as I write this, and the next team will be arriving in a few hours. I have already told Mihaela that I want Raul as my “assignment” for the next three weeks, and possibly Nicoletta, as well, but she will depend on the other volunteers. Speaking of other volunteers, Susan—who was on my team last year—will be on this team! So excited to see her again!
Note: It's now Monday and the internet is (finally) back on! No pictures today, though, as it's late, it's storming (finally), and I'm going to bed.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Day 17 - Highlights
Just a few notable tidbits about today, as I'm quite tired and will probably go to bed early:
*Baby Nicoletta is back! She's in a bedroom all by herself, as she has to be isolated for a while. I got to cuddle her quite a bit. She's such a happy little girl! I didn't hear her cry once. I believe she's around 7 months old now, and she came to the clinic because she wasn't gaining weight? I'll have to double-check that. But I weighed her today, and she's about 8.5 pounds. Tiny little thing, it's hard to remember how old she is.
*Daria's mom visited today! And an aunt or other female relation. It was a tearful reunion. I'm not sure how often they are able to visit, but there's no doubt in my mind that mom wishes it could be more often.
*Celine is going to Iasi tomorrow for tests, but Mihaela said that she usually comes back in the same day.
*I didn't get to see Raul until this afternoon, and he didn't smile once when I was with him. Sad. :-( He made a few happy-like noises, but no smiling. He seemed fairly lethargic.
*Gabi seems to be getting sick. I went into her room (she's with the isolation kids) and found her without a diaper on her bum, but there was one wrapped around her waist and legs. The nurse came in to check her temperature a couple times, and she wrapped some wet cloth diapers around her legs to cool her off. When I was leaving this afternoon, I heard Gabi screaming as they inserted some kind of port into her arm and wrapped it so she couldn't pull it out.
*I found Maria's tickle spot. Well, it's actually a scratch spot--I used my fingernails, very gently, on her abdomen, kind of just under the bottom of her ribcage, and she LOVED it.
*Daniela got a haircut.
*My glasses were grabbed 4+ times, and I'm pretty sure I'll need to get new ones when I return home.
*Cristi cuddled me today. I know, I was surprised, too. I was holding Andreea in my lap, and Cristi just made his way up there himself and settled down, comfy as can be. Andreea didn't really care for that.
*I had lunch alone. Not fun. And the hotel is having tile put down in the dining room, to replace the carpet, so there was dust and stuff. We had dinner outside because of that.
*Judy thought she had asked Mihaela to order a certain dessert for us, one that others had talked about and we wanted to try, but I don't think that's what we got. We had pancakes (yes, pancakes), with a dish of Nutella. Sounds odd, to have actual pancakes for dessert, but it was quite delicious.
And now, for your viewing pleasure...
Train station in Barlad, Saturday
Ion
Daniela & me
Nicoletta
Nicoletta & me
Cristi and the twins, Andreea and Roxana
Paula
Andreea & me
Raul
Nicoletta
Celine
Sleeping Daria
Roxie on Nestor, the Not-So-Long-Eared Donkey
Gabi, wrapped in diapers
Cristi
*Baby Nicoletta is back! She's in a bedroom all by herself, as she has to be isolated for a while. I got to cuddle her quite a bit. She's such a happy little girl! I didn't hear her cry once. I believe she's around 7 months old now, and she came to the clinic because she wasn't gaining weight? I'll have to double-check that. But I weighed her today, and she's about 8.5 pounds. Tiny little thing, it's hard to remember how old she is.
*Daria's mom visited today! And an aunt or other female relation. It was a tearful reunion. I'm not sure how often they are able to visit, but there's no doubt in my mind that mom wishes it could be more often.
*Celine is going to Iasi tomorrow for tests, but Mihaela said that she usually comes back in the same day.
*I didn't get to see Raul until this afternoon, and he didn't smile once when I was with him. Sad. :-( He made a few happy-like noises, but no smiling. He seemed fairly lethargic.
*Gabi seems to be getting sick. I went into her room (she's with the isolation kids) and found her without a diaper on her bum, but there was one wrapped around her waist and legs. The nurse came in to check her temperature a couple times, and she wrapped some wet cloth diapers around her legs to cool her off. When I was leaving this afternoon, I heard Gabi screaming as they inserted some kind of port into her arm and wrapped it so she couldn't pull it out.
*I found Maria's tickle spot. Well, it's actually a scratch spot--I used my fingernails, very gently, on her abdomen, kind of just under the bottom of her ribcage, and she LOVED it.
*Daniela got a haircut.
*My glasses were grabbed 4+ times, and I'm pretty sure I'll need to get new ones when I return home.
*Cristi cuddled me today. I know, I was surprised, too. I was holding Andreea in my lap, and Cristi just made his way up there himself and settled down, comfy as can be. Andreea didn't really care for that.
*I had lunch alone. Not fun. And the hotel is having tile put down in the dining room, to replace the carpet, so there was dust and stuff. We had dinner outside because of that.
*Judy thought she had asked Mihaela to order a certain dessert for us, one that others had talked about and we wanted to try, but I don't think that's what we got. We had pancakes (yes, pancakes), with a dish of Nutella. Sounds odd, to have actual pancakes for dessert, but it was quite delicious.
And now, for your viewing pleasure...
Train station in Barlad, Saturday
Ion
Daniela & me
Nicoletta
Nicoletta & me
Cristi and the twins, Andreea and Roxana
Paula
Andreea & me
Raul
Nicoletta
Celine
Sleeping Daria
Roxie on Nestor, the Not-So-Long-Eared Donkey
Gabi, wrapped in diapers
Cristi
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Days 14, 15 & 16
Friday was the last day at the clinic for the two Jeans, Genie, and Robin. I spent a lot of time in the isolation rooms again. I wasn't allowed to take Raul out of his crib in the afternoon, so I had to feed him while he was lying down. He didn't seem to mind, though, as long as somebody was near.
I think Roxana will be released from isolation soon, but it still will be a while for Paula and Cristi. And, of course, Andreea was only brought into that room a couple days ago.
I also spent some time in the nonmobile room, mostly with Ionut and Maria. I gave Maria a little massage, which she seemed to enjoy, but when I tried with Ionut, he wasn't having any of it. Apparently he had worked hard with Jean! So I cuddled him a bit. Remember a couple days ago when I said that I was surprised he doesn't bite? Well, I had to eat my words on Friday because when I held him against my shoulder, he sunk his teeth right through my shirt and into my shoulder. He just latched on and didn't want to let go! He broke the skin, but only a little.
The ladies said their goodbyes, and then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner in Barlad. We went back to Trattoria Da Vinci and ordered off the menu! I got a 4-cheese penne that wasn't fantastic, and dessert was cheesecake.
When I woke up Saturday morning, it was like Christmas outside my door again! I inherited water, a blanket, a pouch of tuna, an umbrella, a box of tea, saltine crackers, pepto-bismol, and a book. I'm going to miss the ladies who left (particularly as I room-hop this week), but I will especially miss Robin. I was able to spend a lot of time with her in the isolation room, and she is a fantastic woman with a wonderful outlook on just about everything. I'll miss talking to her in isolation, and I'll miss hearing the on-the-spot conversations she makes up with the kids. (But wait!...lol)
Judy and I got a taxi to Barlad, and the driver was very nice. He pulled out his copy of the train schedule and tried to be helpful by telling us that there wasn't a train to Iasi until the afternoon, but as it turns out, his schedule must have been outdated. We had expected a train at 8:30, but while that was wrong, we only had to wait until 9:30.
We arrived in Iasi around lunchtime and took a taxi to the Metropolitan Cathedral area, which seems to be right in the center of things. As we walked down the street, we saw that it was blocked off for something involving motorcycles.
Honestly, there isn't much to do in Iasi, and we only ended up staying a few hours. Some highlights of the trip:
*While walking down a street, we saw a modeling/photography gig going on, with a young man and woman posing near a bridal shop.
*When we went to the modern Cathedral, there was a wedding party outside! The bride's dress (or what I saw of it) was lovely--white with a mauve-ish bow on the back. It began to rain, though, so they moved inside fairly quickly.
*We went back to the train station earlier than we intended, but when we got to the ticket counter, we were told that the next train to Barlad would leave in about 4 minutes. We got the tickets and started running, and if we didn't have the whole fence/gate thing to go around to reach the train, we would have made it! As it was, I was able to climb onto the train as it started moving. Unfortunately, Judy could not, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I found myself jumping from a moving train. I nearly fell over the barrier, but that's a better alternative to falling backwards and getting my head taken off. The moral of the story? No matter how slow a train is going, jumping off is a bad idea.
*We ended up getting a refund and getting tickets for the next train, which wouldn't leave for almost another two hours. So after several games of cards and a trip to McDonald's for ice cream (KitKat & caramel McFlurry!), we were on our way. A young man joined us in our compartment, and he didn't let on that he understood anything we were saying until I said something that made him laugh. I'm very glad he was in there with us, though, because there was a creepy man who kept wandering up and down the car, and the younger man yelled at him to leave us alone and slammed the compartment door so he wouldn't come in. Our savior. :-)
I decided to take Sunday as a lazy day. I did some reading, watched some more True Blood, and handwashed a bit of laundry. The agenda for the rest of the night includes writing in the team journal and drinking 1.5 litres of water.
P.S. I asked Mihaela on Friday about baby Nicoletta, who has been in the hospital for a little over two weeks because of pneumonia. Unfortunately, there is no news on her yet.
Andreea in the butterfly dress I brought. It's backwards, but still cute!
Maria
Gabi in the dessert dress I brought
Ionut
Paula
Mihaela in a dress I brought.
Some pictures of the hospital grounds and general vicinity
Some shots in Barlad
I think Roxana will be released from isolation soon, but it still will be a while for Paula and Cristi. And, of course, Andreea was only brought into that room a couple days ago.
I also spent some time in the nonmobile room, mostly with Ionut and Maria. I gave Maria a little massage, which she seemed to enjoy, but when I tried with Ionut, he wasn't having any of it. Apparently he had worked hard with Jean! So I cuddled him a bit. Remember a couple days ago when I said that I was surprised he doesn't bite? Well, I had to eat my words on Friday because when I held him against my shoulder, he sunk his teeth right through my shirt and into my shoulder. He just latched on and didn't want to let go! He broke the skin, but only a little.
The ladies said their goodbyes, and then we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner in Barlad. We went back to Trattoria Da Vinci and ordered off the menu! I got a 4-cheese penne that wasn't fantastic, and dessert was cheesecake.
When I woke up Saturday morning, it was like Christmas outside my door again! I inherited water, a blanket, a pouch of tuna, an umbrella, a box of tea, saltine crackers, pepto-bismol, and a book. I'm going to miss the ladies who left (particularly as I room-hop this week), but I will especially miss Robin. I was able to spend a lot of time with her in the isolation room, and she is a fantastic woman with a wonderful outlook on just about everything. I'll miss talking to her in isolation, and I'll miss hearing the on-the-spot conversations she makes up with the kids. (But wait!...lol)
Judy and I got a taxi to Barlad, and the driver was very nice. He pulled out his copy of the train schedule and tried to be helpful by telling us that there wasn't a train to Iasi until the afternoon, but as it turns out, his schedule must have been outdated. We had expected a train at 8:30, but while that was wrong, we only had to wait until 9:30.
We arrived in Iasi around lunchtime and took a taxi to the Metropolitan Cathedral area, which seems to be right in the center of things. As we walked down the street, we saw that it was blocked off for something involving motorcycles.
Honestly, there isn't much to do in Iasi, and we only ended up staying a few hours. Some highlights of the trip:
*While walking down a street, we saw a modeling/photography gig going on, with a young man and woman posing near a bridal shop.
*When we went to the modern Cathedral, there was a wedding party outside! The bride's dress (or what I saw of it) was lovely--white with a mauve-ish bow on the back. It began to rain, though, so they moved inside fairly quickly.
*We went back to the train station earlier than we intended, but when we got to the ticket counter, we were told that the next train to Barlad would leave in about 4 minutes. We got the tickets and started running, and if we didn't have the whole fence/gate thing to go around to reach the train, we would have made it! As it was, I was able to climb onto the train as it started moving. Unfortunately, Judy could not, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I found myself jumping from a moving train. I nearly fell over the barrier, but that's a better alternative to falling backwards and getting my head taken off. The moral of the story? No matter how slow a train is going, jumping off is a bad idea.
*We ended up getting a refund and getting tickets for the next train, which wouldn't leave for almost another two hours. So after several games of cards and a trip to McDonald's for ice cream (KitKat & caramel McFlurry!), we were on our way. A young man joined us in our compartment, and he didn't let on that he understood anything we were saying until I said something that made him laugh. I'm very glad he was in there with us, though, because there was a creepy man who kept wandering up and down the car, and the younger man yelled at him to leave us alone and slammed the compartment door so he wouldn't come in. Our savior. :-)
I decided to take Sunday as a lazy day. I did some reading, watched some more True Blood, and handwashed a bit of laundry. The agenda for the rest of the night includes writing in the team journal and drinking 1.5 litres of water.
P.S. I asked Mihaela on Friday about baby Nicoletta, who has been in the hospital for a little over two weeks because of pneumonia. Unfortunately, there is no news on her yet.
Andreea in the butterfly dress I brought. It's backwards, but still cute!
Maria
Gabi in the dessert dress I brought
Ionut
Paula
Mihaela in a dress I brought.
Some pictures of the hospital grounds and general vicinity
Some shots in Barlad
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Days 12 & 13
The week is starting to wind down, and pretty soon, I’ll be the only volunteer at the clinic for a week. I’ve spent much of the past two days in the isolation room, helping Robin to NOT go stir-crazy. Cristi, Paula, and Roxana have been in isolation for most/all of the time we’ve been here, and Andreea (Roxana’s twin) is in there now, as well. So I’ve spent a good bit of time in that room, as well as going between all the other rooms (especially Raul’s, as I think Robin and I may be the only volunteers who visit him).
Oh, before I forget, I had said that Alexandra was going to Iasi for scans, and I guess it is assumed that they will go ahead and do surgery. She may be gone for a month or so, which means I probably won’t see her before I leave. Sad. :-(
Yesterday, the pair of Jeans (haha) stayed in the bedroom with Daria, Ionut, Maria, and Gabriella instead of taking the first three to the nonmobile playroom (Gabi, having just returned from the hospital, is in a form of isolation for a while…which doesn’t make much sense, as they put her in a room with healthy kids who might get sick if she has anything). The Jeans did some work with Gabi on standing, something she might do for a couple seconds when she doesn’t realize it (such as when she wants to be picked up from her crib) but that she hates doing when she’s being MADE to and realizes it’s work. Gabi stood on the floor, holding onto the edge of the cribs. I got the cutest picture when she was standing at Maria’s crib, which held both Maria and Daria! Gabi was also introduced to the beach ball, which we sometimes use as an exercise ball, and explored it with kisses. She did the same with Mihaela’s skirt.
Some big news from today and yesterday (that’s not really that huge, but noteworthy):
*Little Miss Paula, who is severely autistic, allowed me to kiss her hand.
*Cristi looks like Charlie Chaplin with his indigo/violet moustache, and the snowman narrator from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer when he smiles. He also stood up in his crib, all by himself, and stayed standing for about five minutes.
*Roxana (whom I’ve nicknamed Roxie) has discovered her shadow, and she loves to sit in front of the fan.
*Andreea (twin) was Little Miss Crankypants today and demanded to be held almost every single moment. I didn’t indulge her every time, as I don’t want her to be spoiled, but I did get several cuddles in. I’m trying to teach her not to hit, too. When she’s excited, she kind of slaps her hands on my arms and chest. It hurts. So I’m trying to get her to NOT do that.
*Daria got to play with the big kids today when we went to visit the mobile playroom. Big Andreea gave her a kiss, and Petre tried to pet her hair gently, saying “mai mai” (I'm sure I spelled that wrong, but it's an equivalent of “be nice”). Unfortunately, Petre didn’t know his own strength and, therefore, wasn’t particularly gentle, but Daria didn’t mind. I thought it was adorable, how interested Petre was in the baby. He walked over to us, tentatively, with a huge smile on his face.
*Maria-Cleopatra seemed to be having a conversation with some angels today. I was on the other side of the room, feeding Daria, and Maria was just babbling and cooing up a storm. Love it. She has come so far in the last year. Last summer, everyone thought it was just a matter of time until she was going to pass away; we didn’t know if she knew we were there with her, if her rare smiles were reflex, or what. Now we know how to make her smile and laugh out loud, and she is a recognized presence in the room—not because of her disability but because of her personality.
*Raul…let out a huge burp today. It was the loudest belch I’ve ever heard from anyone under the age of 5. Completely random incident, as he was just sitting on the changing table, looking out the window. I’m a bit immature, but it was kind of hilarious.
*Ion practiced eating with a spoon yesterday morning. He’s very good at the motion of bringing the spoon from the bowl to his mouth, but he hasn’t quite gotten the hang of scooping up the food to actually put INTO his mouth. So I let him hold the spoon, but I held it with him—very lightly—to help with the scooping.
*The toddlers who were in isolation (Ion, Petre, Lea-Celine, and Andreea) have recovered and are free, in case you didn’t get that from my note about Daria!
*Alina, Mihaela and Daniela are all over the place. Enough said.
*Ionut is an angel and I love to cuddle him. He has been working on head control, mostly. As a side note, I’m surprised that he doesn’t bite. He has a full set of baby teeth (which he grinds a lot), but when I hold him with his head on my shoulder, he just sucks on my shirt or my arm. He never bites.
*Marius is doing great at practicing walking! I expect that he’ll be walking completely on his own within the next week or two, as long as he gets to practice (which might be hard next week, but I’ll try!)
*My glasses were grabbed off of my face a grand total of three times today. They only got to them because I was holding Daria, though. They usually can’t get them otherwise; I’m too quick for them.
Our dinner in Barlad was postponed until tomorrow. Five volunteers (four from the clinic) will be leaving on Saturday. I’m nervous about being there on my own next week, but I’ll try to make the best of it.
Andreea & Robin have a chat
Roxie discovers her shadow
Cristi snores
Paula
Lea-Celine
Raul gets a visit from an angel bear
Ionut
Party at Maria's crib
Oh, before I forget, I had said that Alexandra was going to Iasi for scans, and I guess it is assumed that they will go ahead and do surgery. She may be gone for a month or so, which means I probably won’t see her before I leave. Sad. :-(
Yesterday, the pair of Jeans (haha) stayed in the bedroom with Daria, Ionut, Maria, and Gabriella instead of taking the first three to the nonmobile playroom (Gabi, having just returned from the hospital, is in a form of isolation for a while…which doesn’t make much sense, as they put her in a room with healthy kids who might get sick if she has anything). The Jeans did some work with Gabi on standing, something she might do for a couple seconds when she doesn’t realize it (such as when she wants to be picked up from her crib) but that she hates doing when she’s being MADE to and realizes it’s work. Gabi stood on the floor, holding onto the edge of the cribs. I got the cutest picture when she was standing at Maria’s crib, which held both Maria and Daria! Gabi was also introduced to the beach ball, which we sometimes use as an exercise ball, and explored it with kisses. She did the same with Mihaela’s skirt.
Some big news from today and yesterday (that’s not really that huge, but noteworthy):
*Little Miss Paula, who is severely autistic, allowed me to kiss her hand.
*Cristi looks like Charlie Chaplin with his indigo/violet moustache, and the snowman narrator from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer when he smiles. He also stood up in his crib, all by himself, and stayed standing for about five minutes.
*Roxana (whom I’ve nicknamed Roxie) has discovered her shadow, and she loves to sit in front of the fan.
*Andreea (twin) was Little Miss Crankypants today and demanded to be held almost every single moment. I didn’t indulge her every time, as I don’t want her to be spoiled, but I did get several cuddles in. I’m trying to teach her not to hit, too. When she’s excited, she kind of slaps her hands on my arms and chest. It hurts. So I’m trying to get her to NOT do that.
*Daria got to play with the big kids today when we went to visit the mobile playroom. Big Andreea gave her a kiss, and Petre tried to pet her hair gently, saying “mai mai” (I'm sure I spelled that wrong, but it's an equivalent of “be nice”). Unfortunately, Petre didn’t know his own strength and, therefore, wasn’t particularly gentle, but Daria didn’t mind. I thought it was adorable, how interested Petre was in the baby. He walked over to us, tentatively, with a huge smile on his face.
*Maria-Cleopatra seemed to be having a conversation with some angels today. I was on the other side of the room, feeding Daria, and Maria was just babbling and cooing up a storm. Love it. She has come so far in the last year. Last summer, everyone thought it was just a matter of time until she was going to pass away; we didn’t know if she knew we were there with her, if her rare smiles were reflex, or what. Now we know how to make her smile and laugh out loud, and she is a recognized presence in the room—not because of her disability but because of her personality.
*Raul…let out a huge burp today. It was the loudest belch I’ve ever heard from anyone under the age of 5. Completely random incident, as he was just sitting on the changing table, looking out the window. I’m a bit immature, but it was kind of hilarious.
*Ion practiced eating with a spoon yesterday morning. He’s very good at the motion of bringing the spoon from the bowl to his mouth, but he hasn’t quite gotten the hang of scooping up the food to actually put INTO his mouth. So I let him hold the spoon, but I held it with him—very lightly—to help with the scooping.
*The toddlers who were in isolation (Ion, Petre, Lea-Celine, and Andreea) have recovered and are free, in case you didn’t get that from my note about Daria!
*Alina, Mihaela and Daniela are all over the place. Enough said.
*Ionut is an angel and I love to cuddle him. He has been working on head control, mostly. As a side note, I’m surprised that he doesn’t bite. He has a full set of baby teeth (which he grinds a lot), but when I hold him with his head on my shoulder, he just sucks on my shirt or my arm. He never bites.
*Marius is doing great at practicing walking! I expect that he’ll be walking completely on his own within the next week or two, as long as he gets to practice (which might be hard next week, but I’ll try!)
*My glasses were grabbed off of my face a grand total of three times today. They only got to them because I was holding Daria, though. They usually can’t get them otherwise; I’m too quick for them.
Our dinner in Barlad was postponed until tomorrow. Five volunteers (four from the clinic) will be leaving on Saturday. I’m nervous about being there on my own next week, but I’ll try to make the best of it.
Andreea & Robin have a chat
Roxie discovers her shadow
Cristi snores
Paula
Lea-Celine
Raul gets a visit from an angel bear
Ionut
Party at Maria's crib
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Day 11
I woke up this morning congested and with the continued stomachache. I’m convinced that I will not be healthy at all this summer. Took the morning off, had some Sudafed, and went back to bed. Woke up feeling a little better, but still planned to wear my mask at the clinic all afternoon, just in case.
The worst part about taking this morning off? Maiastra visited the clinic with a social worker and a child protection worker. I’m told that she is doing well, friendly, and very interactive. And she can eat by herself now! I’m so sad that I missed her.
Alex had already left this morning before the team got there. She went to Iasi for tests, scans, etc. She has brittle bone disease and has a rod in her thigh/hip area that has been shifting. They might need to do surgery to replace it or something. If she has the surgery, I don’t know if she’ll be back before I leave next month. We’ll see, I guess.
As soon as it was time to leave for the afternoon clinic, the rain and thunder I’ve been anticipating for the last week started. Mihaela drove us over in two trips, and guess who we found at the clinic? Gabriella! She is back from Iasi and seems to be content. It’s amazing how much she has changed since last summer. Now she is more curious and active, though she still can’t walk. She “sees” with her mouth, so as I held her, she “kissed” my shoulder, nose, eye, and hair in order to explore me. She’s a sweetheart, and I’m excited to spend more time with her this summer.
I spent the afternoon between Raul, Gabriella, and the nonmobile room. The carpet was taken out of the mobile playroom, so we had Marius, Daniela, and Alina in the nonmobile room. Alina was fairly calm-—for her, anyway (although she did bite me). She did grab at my glasses several times. She loved it when I would flip her upside down and in somersaults; it’s so easy to do because she’s so light. Daniela was having a rough afternoon, as she kept screaming and crying. She calmed down about halfway through the shift, though.
We went to Alona for dinner tonight, and Mihaela ordered me plain grilled chicken with a side of potatoes, to see if it helps my stomach at all. She thinks I should stay away from sauces for a while. These stomachaches happen at home, too, although they’ve been quite frequent since I got here. I can’t avoid much more food because I eat little enough as it is.
Because of the congestion and such I’ve been having, I’m anticipating a possible sinus infection, and I got an antibiotic, just in case. You can get Zithromax here without a prescription, although it’s only three pills instead of the seven (or eight?) we get at home.
At my mom’s insistence, I picked up some citrus at the grocery store—but there were only a couple good-looking oranges. I also got bananas, yogurt, and a bar of Milka chocolate, which I think I will be giving up for a while (after tonight) because I did not come here with the intention of eating a lot of chocolate. Oh, and I figured out how to use the produce scale at Interex! If nobody is at the counter, you put your fruit on, press the 4-digit number code, hit enter, and you get a sticker to put on the produce bag.
Daria
Alina
Gabi & Me
Andreea & Me
Paula
Maria
The worst part about taking this morning off? Maiastra visited the clinic with a social worker and a child protection worker. I’m told that she is doing well, friendly, and very interactive. And she can eat by herself now! I’m so sad that I missed her.
Alex had already left this morning before the team got there. She went to Iasi for tests, scans, etc. She has brittle bone disease and has a rod in her thigh/hip area that has been shifting. They might need to do surgery to replace it or something. If she has the surgery, I don’t know if she’ll be back before I leave next month. We’ll see, I guess.
As soon as it was time to leave for the afternoon clinic, the rain and thunder I’ve been anticipating for the last week started. Mihaela drove us over in two trips, and guess who we found at the clinic? Gabriella! She is back from Iasi and seems to be content. It’s amazing how much she has changed since last summer. Now she is more curious and active, though she still can’t walk. She “sees” with her mouth, so as I held her, she “kissed” my shoulder, nose, eye, and hair in order to explore me. She’s a sweetheart, and I’m excited to spend more time with her this summer.
I spent the afternoon between Raul, Gabriella, and the nonmobile room. The carpet was taken out of the mobile playroom, so we had Marius, Daniela, and Alina in the nonmobile room. Alina was fairly calm-—for her, anyway (although she did bite me). She did grab at my glasses several times. She loved it when I would flip her upside down and in somersaults; it’s so easy to do because she’s so light. Daniela was having a rough afternoon, as she kept screaming and crying. She calmed down about halfway through the shift, though.
We went to Alona for dinner tonight, and Mihaela ordered me plain grilled chicken with a side of potatoes, to see if it helps my stomach at all. She thinks I should stay away from sauces for a while. These stomachaches happen at home, too, although they’ve been quite frequent since I got here. I can’t avoid much more food because I eat little enough as it is.
Because of the congestion and such I’ve been having, I’m anticipating a possible sinus infection, and I got an antibiotic, just in case. You can get Zithromax here without a prescription, although it’s only three pills instead of the seven (or eight?) we get at home.
At my mom’s insistence, I picked up some citrus at the grocery store—but there were only a couple good-looking oranges. I also got bananas, yogurt, and a bar of Milka chocolate, which I think I will be giving up for a while (after tonight) because I did not come here with the intention of eating a lot of chocolate. Oh, and I figured out how to use the produce scale at Interex! If nobody is at the counter, you put your fruit on, press the 4-digit number code, hit enter, and you get a sticker to put on the produce bag.
Daria
Alina
Gabi & Me
Andreea & Me
Paula
Maria
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