A Walk in the Sunshine

I got to feed Guadelupe this week. At 2 lb, she is the smallest baby I've ever held, much less fed! She does not not seem to have mastered breathing and eating at the same time. It goes like Gulp, Gulp, Gasp, Swallow, Gasp, and start over.It took about 30 min and she ate about 2 oz. On Friday, they had to put her on a warmer because she was not maintaining her body temp, and she pinked up nicely. When I get home, I may apply for a job in nursery.

Here is Ismael, our new little boy from the beginning of the week, and Alberto who is expertly wrapping his teddy in a washcloth. Ismael was brought by his grandpa. He was feverish, malnourished, and had an awful eye infection. He cried non stop. Fast forward 3 days.... he is walking, talking, chattering, eating, and playing well with Alberto. These kids seem to have chubby faces and their pjs sort of hide the extent of their problems, but when you dress or change them, their frail bodies tell another story.....

We have another new little boy who came yesterday. He is a 10 yr old named Frank. He had brain surgery a short time ago and has since totally quit eating. He is so thin and emaciated that he is unable to walk or even sit up.(He grinned big however when I suggested we need a TV in his room!) His family has gome without food to get him antibiotics. His very devoted mother, in a tipica skirt, cares for him and helps us out by picking up toys etc. Please pray that we can help this awesome kid before it is too late. 

One of the nicest things about Casa Jackson is that you meet many people from many countries. This week alone, the volunteers included people from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, Canada, and the US. Here is a new friend of mine from Minneapolis named Tony. He has an adopted son from Guatemala and spent a few days being "Dad" at Casa Jackson. Here he is with Henri. He and Ismael became quite close and Tony was able to really bring him out of his initial depression. Sadly, Tony had to leave this morning. I think he may become a return volunteer!

I  do have several other errands to do this morning so I need to finish this up. This is a picture for the horticulturists...a plant growing at my Spanish School. The flowers are quite large and the stalks are several feet long. I have no idea what it is, but it is really pretty!

So please have a great week everyone. I am staying safe and healthy, loving the weather, the sunshine, the food, the language, and especially the babies. I DO miss all of you and ocaisionally need to squelch a bit of homesickness but overall, this is the experience of a lifetime. Love to all. Noanie-Joanne