The visit to the orphanage yesterday was filled with a lot of emotion. We are trying to keep a consistent schedule with our visits to Alex so we have been getting to the baby house around 10:00 every day. Yesterday it looked like he had been sleeping when they brought him over to us. He had a new outfit I had brought over the day before and he was wearing a rather fancy pair of Disney shoes with the word Princess on them. Very cute for a very boyish-looking Russian boy!
We played on the floor for a little while, fed him lunch which consisted of meat, mash potatoes and a big piece of bread all mashed in what looked to be some chicken broth. The food did not look very appealing this time and he only ate about half of it. What he does finish in a matter of seconds is a cup of apple-looking juice at room temperature that they give him every day. I think he is always really thirsty and can’t wait until he gets his share of it at lunch time. Yesterday and Monday I try to give him some fresh bottle water but he spits it right out. I am concerned he doesn’t get that much to drink and when he gets this cup of juice he drinks it all at once because he is so thirsty.
Watching him drink so desperately, watching his un-appealing food and watching his little and pale frame really hit us hard yesterday and I couldn’t help breaking down. Roma had stepped away for a minute at the same time the caretaker came around to check on us while Alex was still eating so I asked her myself, in English and pointing at the zippy-cup, to bring another cup for Alex. She did and again, he drank it in a matter of seconds. I kept asking about why he didn’t drink water or whether he drank milk, but really didn’t get an answer.
So heart breaking and so very sad…
His main caretaker is very caring and baby Alex seems to be quite attached to her. But our dear God, she has to take care of another twelve to fifteen kids at the same time. I can only imagine how at times this would be very frustrating for her. Lord, please continue to bless her and give her the strength she needs. I wish so much I could just sit with her for a few minutes and ask about Alex’s routine, what he eats, how and where she bathes him and so much more, but a few minutes with us is a few minutes she would be taking away from another of the many precious, and some of them ill little boys and girls living at Baby House Number 6.
We will never forget this place and I don’t know that I can go back home and just pray to God and ask Him to protect and look over all these souls. I now feel an attachment and commitment to this place, but I personally don’t know where I go from here and what I will do after I leave this place behind.
They took Alex for his nap after we visited for a little over two hours. I have gotten these words down in Russia pretty good: Ten more minutes, please??? She always says Yes twice, so we get 20 more minutes with him on each visit. Yesterday I wondered if she figured that out because she did try picking him up about 30 minutes earlier than the day before. We can’t wait to bring him home. What a joy that will be!!!
On the bright side, the inside paint job looks like it will be finished soon; the smell of paint was either almost gone or we just got used to it. They have smoothed-out the walls outside with cement and fixed all the cracks. It looks like the outside is also going to be painted. We saw them replacing the old wood windows with nice, double paneled aluminum ones. Pretty soon all the snow will be gone and with the large number of trees there are, I am sure it will be pretty green in another month or two.
1 comments:
Ulia was the same way with juice when we came home,she could not get enough to drink and still a year later drinks a lot.I think they only get drinks with meals. Ulia is not real fond of milf so Im guessing she didnt get much of it there. Just thik how well Alex is going grow when you get home with him and he can eat what he wanst when he wants!
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