My Kiddies!

I figure it's time to introduce you to the kids that I work with 5 days a week in the orphanage and at the apartment. Rest assured for BYU and their own sakes, these are NOT their real names...

Mariuta- 4 yrs old and has Down Syndrome. She loves bouncing on the yoga ball with me. Mariuta is quite the little mom. Today when another kid was crying and she was in my lap, she reached my hand up to his leg to rub it. The nice part about her aggressive behavior (biting, gouging with her finger nails), is her face tenses up and she makes audible sounds that are a good indication it's time to move away/put her down...sometimes I'm not fast enough though! Yesterday she bit me and I still have a bruised shoulder

Vallie- 4 yrs as well. She has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and has a very small bone structure and very aggressive which are results of FAS. She loves to pull hair and has succeeded a few times in pulling out as much as you would in a hair brush. I consider her to be my first abusive relationship.

Leah- just turned one and is the Princess. She is quite a chunky baby which is surprising since most kids here you can feel their ribs easily. From what I can tell, institutionalization has not affected her as much because she's one of the favored children and gets the most attention from workers.

Sid- 9 yrs. Blind and spends the day laying in his wheelchair or on the floor. He is the most naturally blonde kid I've ever seen in Romania. It's almost white. He has about the same motor control as an infant would and does not walk or talk. But all you have to say is his name, touch him and he'll give you a great smile. He hardly ever cries, but when you do, you know something is wrong.

Julian- he's about 7 or 8 I think. I don't think he can see very far, if any at all. I've never seen him out of his wheelchair. His legs are strapped down because apparently he's kicked hard enough it turned his wheelchair backwards. He was the first boy I fell in love with. He used to lean against me as I sang to him. He doesn't do that as much anymore perhaps because I don't sing, I try to talk to him. When he gets excited he gives this "heeeee" squeal.

Egore- 9-10 yrs old. He is a very observant kid. He can't see much but I've caught him following noises/people around the room. He knows when you come up to him and when you leave he protests. As long as he's not hungry, anything you do with him is rewarded with the best drooly smile and gurgly noises ever .

Gonzo- perhaps 7 going on 8. He's pretty tiny as well and spends his days laying on the bed in the playroom with a feeding tube. His legs are pretty twisted up, perhaps from birth defects but institutionalization hasn't helped either. He knows when you walk by and you just say his name like the rest of the kids and he loves it. Today I spent a good while with him just massaging his legs and feet. There is something to be said about nonverbal communication.

There are two other girls who are basically nonresponsive. One of them lays in her crib in the bedroom all day. I've gone in a few times I wish I could do more than sit and rub her back and talk to her as she lays in a crib. The other girl is about 10 and sits in her wheelchair eating her hands all day. (Its not uncommon to see thse kids with bite marks, and scars on their hands from that.) Melanie and I try to spend time with her too, but it's hard as she doesn't respond and doesn't seem to enjoy being touched.

These kids are amazing. I don't know if anyone will ever be able to understand it. But anyone who's worked with special needs kids knows. Especially institutionalized children, they need extra love and patience.