The little ones

I wrote before about my typical Saturdays. Right after that I was able to start into more regular time with the bed-bound little ones and some others who don't participate in the Bible lessons, as I said that I was wanting to. Now that's part of the routine.

A few months ago the older girls we work with were temporarily moved into a "baby" group (they're really not babies, but they are little and they live in cribs), so I'm easily getting lots more contact with these little ones. After I finish the Bible lesson and take the boys back to their group, it's lunch time. I go in to the babies, and start feeding someone. I usually start with K., because she loves me and won't be calm until I give her some attention. I'm slower than the nannies with feeding, and I make sure we're talking and interacting the whole time. I haven't gotten used to feeding the ones who are flat on their backs all the time, although I do that sometimes. I'm always afraid that they'll choke! They all eat some variation of puree or mush fed to them with spoons. There are eight children in that group, and often about the time I have finished feeding two, the nanny is already done with the rest and cleaning up.

I've been bringing them cookies and juice, too, since I do that for the older kids. For these little ones, I crumble and mash the cookies and mix them with juice and then feed that to them after their regular lunch. I've noticed that some have definitely come to expect a sweet treat when they see me; I must be the cookie lady in their minds.

There's one absolutely precious little girl who is blind. I hadn't spent much time with her, because she's very fearful, and I didn't want to upset her. However, this week, the nanny told me that this little one always thinks she's hungry. No matter how much they spoon into her, she has a fit when they're done. (And she really is getting enough; there is no danger of actual hunger here.) So, this time before she even started to protest that her lunch was over, I took her a bowl of cookies. She did fuss when that was gone, but she also let me take her out of her crib and comfort her some in my arms. She could only stand a few minutes of that, but she was calm when I put her back. I'm going to try to hold her each week now, and see if she can get more comfortable with that and with me.

Oh, and about little K.... The time before last, the nannies seemed really tired and one had a toothache or something. So, they asked me to take K. with me when I took the older ones out for the Bible lesson. I wasn't too sure how that would work; teaching and interacting with the older ones, with her clinging to me? But I tried it, and it was fine. She sat in her stroller and listened and even "sang" with us. This week, she obviously wanted to go again and kept trying to pull me toward the classroom. But, there were other guests visiting at the same time, so I just walked her back and forth the whole time. She can only walk with support, and she loves when someone helps her practice. Then, when the guests left, I put her back in her stroller to do a short lesson with the older kids. She screamed for a minute, but as soon as we started singing she was sound asleep after all the exercise and excitement that she'd had.

Thank you for praying for me and for these little ones. Maybe you can pray specifically for a family to come for K.? She's the only one in that group who I know for sure is available for adoption. Thanks!