Babies!!

All of the children I have met have completely stolen my heart. The school children singing their silly songs and greeting me with "Good morning teacher Meredith!". The deaf children clinging to my hand and trying desperately to communicate with me...although some only know how to sign their names. The ones at Katalemwa Children's Hospital who just grin and grin despite the fact that they have huge pins shoved into their legs. The boys and girls at the juvenile prison who are trying to find their identity and dream big dreams despite their current circumstances.
And then there are the babies...the sweet, Innocent, smiling, crying, laughing, abandoned, lonely, forgotten, babies. They are the ones who have stolen my heart. Myself and most everyone I know was fortunate enough to grow up with both or one of our parents. We were completely taken care of and our needs were provided for. We had a last name. These babies just have a first name. Lately their names have been drifting through my thoughts and echoing in my ears. Elijah, Lina, Maria, Michael, Jacob, Jonathan, Jethro, Emma, Morris, Humphrey, Kate....the list is endless. We go to two different babies homes during the week. They have stark differences. The one we go to on Monday is not funded as well as the other. The children do not have diapers to wear so we spend most of our time changing pants and inevitably chasing naked laughing children around. They do not get their first meal of the day until about 9 or 10. So for the first hour and a half we are there the babies are slightly cranky because they are so hungry. But...we do get to hold them and kiss them and play with them as much as humanly possible. The other babies home has been established in Uganda for a long time. It is cleaner and the babies have diapers and are on a schedule and most of the time receive proper medical attention. I do love that when we get there we are greeted by all the babies laying on the floor waiting for their turn in the bath tub! We wait for a clean baby and then wrap them up in a towel and take them to the changing room. We then dry of their little bodies and rub them down with Vaseline. I always try to take a little longer with my babies so I can talk to them and tickle them a little longer. We then dress them for the day and whenever possible I try to make them look smart! (that is how they say look nice here) We then put them back in their cribs until feeding time and then class time. However, we are not allowed to hold the babies that are able to sit up on their own. This fact just gets to me....they NEED to be HELD! I think I have mentioned this in a previous post...but it is still getting to me. I just ask that you pray for these babies. Pray that the Lord would lay it on people's hearts to come and adopt them and give them a family that will always love and cherish them.

I am currently sick and it is no fun...I had to go to the doctor yesterday and at first I was petrified to go to a Ugandan doctor. For those of you that know me well it is no surprise that I had to go to the doctor! The doctor I saw is an English man who has lived here for 30 years and reminded me a lot of the doctor off the TV show House. He gave me bright pink Ibuprofen and sent me home to rest. Please pray I would get better soon because we are planning on going on a safari on Sunday!!! I am SOOOOO excited about that!