Day One Photos (1)

Day One (3/1)

Today was our first day visiting the clinic. We had breakfast (which was much better than at the other hotel), then we headed out to the clinic. We had a little trouble getting in because the gate was locked, but we found another entrance. I was so happy to see all the children when we walked in. First though, I stopped in at the isolation room, which is only housing one baby at this point. The baby’s name is Maria Cleopatra, and she has hydrocephalus. Then I went down the hall to see the littler babies, and found Alina (little bug) right away. She was as cute as ever, and is standing now, which is adorable (she is 16 months and about 8 pounds). I fed her a bottle, then wandered around saying hi to all the other babies I knew. I couldn’t find Ema-Elena, and was worried, but I asked later and they told me that she is in the hospital right now for testing because she had a really high fever. There is a new non-mobile baby named Andreea who is three months old, and very cute. There is also a new isolation baby with bad hydrocephalus who I held for a while in the afternoon. The other isolation baby passed away last week, and the prognosis of this one is unknown.
We had kind of a crazy morning with the children, they were all over the place, but it was really fun. I spent a bunch of time with the new mobiles as well. They are all adorable, and love to have their pictures taken. It was a bit difficult though, because they all wanted to be held at the same time, and got very upset if they were put down. Maiastra was more active than I’ve ever seen her. She was up walking around the playroom, and would run to Mihaela and me when we came in the room. Alex too seemed to remember me a little bit, whenever I came in the room she would scoot over smiling and throw her arms up to be swung and picked up. There was a new mobile baby names Florentina (Pusa), she was very smart and cute, and even talked a bit.
Then we went back to the hotel to meet with our team leader and discuss goals, the characteristics of a good team, did introductions, and had lunch. After that we went back for a tour of the hospital and for some more time at the clinic. I spent a lot of time with Maria, but her fingers and lips were bluer than ever (she has a heart condition) and she had a cold and seemed to be feeling really sick, so they decided that she needed to be admitted to the hospital in Barlad. So sadly, Maria and Ema are both in the hospital.
After playing we went on a tour, by car, or Barlad and the surrounding area. It was interesting to see other parts of the city, and to hear more about the city. Then we were back to the hotel for more meetings; this time learning about the philosophy of GV, reading the children’s journals, and getting assignments of the groups we will work with; I will be working with the non-mobiles. The mobiles were really cute today, but I like spending time with the younger ones too, and I can play with the older ones during naptime if they are awake. This way, when Ema comes back, I will be able to spend extra time with her! We wrapped up the night with talking about the schedule for the next day, and reading more of the journals. We are all excited to get back to the clinic tomorrow and work with our babies.

Internet!

We finally have internet, so over the next couple days I will update you all on everything that has happened so far. The kids are great, but there are only fifteen right now, as four are in the hospital (Ema, Alina, Maria, and Lea-Celine). I am volunteering in the non-mobile room, and we have six kids right now (Paula, Andreea, Cristi, Gabriela, Marius, 'Little' Andreea).

Travel Day

I will be flying out tonight at 8:30, stopping over in London, and then getting to Bucharest Saturday a little before 3:00 PM, then it's a five hour ride to Tutova. I was finally able to fit my stuff, and all the donations, into a manageable amount of bags, which was a relief. We will be taking the train from Bucharest to Barlad this time (then cars to Tutova), so it was important that I not have lots of big bags. I ended up packing in my frame pack and a large tote bag because I figured it would be easier to carry the bulk of the weight on my back on the train. Next time I update this I will be in Tutova! La revedere!

Donations for Tutova Clinic

Donations include a dozen sleepers (some donated by Carter's baby clothes store), about two dozen Fuzzi Bunz diapers (donated by Fuzzi Bunz), baby hats (donated by White Mountain School faculty), and a neck pillow (donated by Terri McCarter). Terri is a past volunteer who sent me the diapers, pillow, and a onesie to bring to the clinic when I go. The Fuzzi Bunz diapers are fleece inside, and look like they will be much more comfortable for the babies than the old cloth diapers. Thanks everyone for your donations!

Four More Days

I got home from boarding school yesterday, and now have a couple days to pack before I leave for Romania. I found out today that we will be staying at the new hotel in Tutova instead of in Barlad. I think that this will be a good change, because it is much closer, and will provide more opportunities to visit the children at night and on weekends. Unfortunately we will no longer be across the street from the Plus grocery store, but I am bringing lots of snacks! Here is a picture of the new hotel, it looks nice.

Get to Know the Tutova Babies