He always looks that surprised. Today I introduced him to Lyle Lovett and the Spice Girls.
This is Henry.
He likes to jump on my bed while I pretend to be asleep.
Where am I going to get my cute baby fix when I go home?
In other baby news, do not be surprised if I come home with a Tunisian orphan. I went to the public hospital today (where the locals go) to help out with feeding the abandoned new borns. Heartbreaking. Bronwyn has a friend who does this once a week and I tagged along. Because of religious or social customs a lot of babies are abandoned and adoption is unheard of here. So the babies stay in the hospital for a few weeks and then are sent off to an orphanage. The nurses are sometimes overwhelmed with the work so they let us come in to help out. So for a few hours this afternoon I fed and changed and cuddled new-new-newborns. Some just hours old. Some just 3 pounds. All with lots and lots of hair. Bald babies do not exist here.
Bronwyn said that the first time she went she was given the advice to not make it too personal. You can't save all these babies, you can't take them home with you. All you can do is give them love for the few hours you're with them. I thought it would be unbearably hard, that I would be holding back tears the whole time because this over-active imagination of mine can't help but look ahead to what their lives could be like. But it was actually rather sweet to be with them. They just love to be held and I can do that with ease. Snuggling makes everything better.
It also helps that babies are full of comedy. I was changing a little guy's diaper and just as I put a new one on explosive poo shot EVERYWHERE! I managed to deflect it with the diaper. So I put on another new one and just as I was about to tape him up a geyser of pee went off. Again, I had some masterful deflecting. Three diapers later he was all clean and bundled up but I'm pretty sure I detected a smirk, like, "Yeah, I totally did that."
7 comments:
This sounds so analogous to my job teaching kids. It's hard to disengage sometimes, because of the gravity of the situation, but if you choose to live in the moment, it's actually one of the best ways to spend your time, with no regrets when you're done each day! Such a beautiful thing you did!
Enjoy the closeness. If you get a chance, open up your blouse a bit and let their little faces lie against your skin. You'll both love it. They'll actually feel nourished by it...psychoneuroimmuno stuff. Everybody wins.
Much love. To all....
So nice of you! Way to go with the diaper skills!
Those boys you're watching are adorable. The jumping on the bed while you're pretending to sleep--classic! Ah, to snuggle a newborn. Changing baby boys' diapers really can be an adventure. And you're right. They totally do it on purpose. What a great way to help out.
I think you are awesome. Both because you love those two little boys and because you put up with poo and geyser pee from a complete stranger (even if he was only a few hours old). I think you're right about the snuggling part. It's something they need so badly - so good of you to give it to them.
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