Cheese Scented Babies

So milk products here are different.

Everything I eat tastes like really...unique cheese. :)

Let me walk you through why this is important.

1. Babies are fed milk-like formula mystery food.

2. Babies spit up. A LOT.

3. It is HOT. 

When I say hot I mean it! These rooms aren't allowed to have the windows

open so it is like setting foot on the surface of the Sun!

4. Unless there is a worker/nurse right there (and then decides to change or even just wipe down the baby) the baby will lie in its spit up for...an extended period of time. :)

5. Babies REEK like rotten cheese. 

 

Stinking cute babies.

But STINKING cute babies.

**These workers care a lot about these children but with so many kiddos I am sure it is very challenging to clean, feed, medicate, etc. X number of children every day. So I blame no one for the stinky babes. :)** 

Today there was a little 3 month old baby that hadn't been bathed since the dawn of time.

I saw her yesterday and she was covered in her own spit up but I wasn't allowed to pick her up or change her clothing.

Today she was STILL covered in yesterday's mess and had some fresh vomit added to it.

Awesome.

The nurses were very kind today and gave me permission to do whatever I wanted.

There wasn't a sink in sight 

(nor was there any hope of them allowing me to actually bathe her) 

so I changed her diaper, wiped her down the best I could with baby wipes and sanitizer, changed her clothes, and to top it all off --and to get rid of some of the lingering cheese smell-- I rubbed that baby down with Bath and Body Work's Sweet Pea body lotion I had in my backpack.

YIKES!

Nurses came running!

They couldn't stop smelling that sweet smelling baby!

Ha ha ha ha! I thought I was in trouble but they didn't mind at all.

Who doesn't love a sweet smelling babe?!

 I only was able to spend about an hour and a half with her so

  I kissed her like crazy and wished her luck for her surgery (that is hopefully tomorrow).

This picture is an exaggeration but this is how I thought she looked!

So much has happened since I last blogged so I will quickly catch you up!

We went to a baptism! This beautiful young woman Claudia in our branch

 was baptized last week and we were all able to attend! 

Two girls from the gang, Jodie and Jenna, sang a lovely hymn for it while 

I played the piano.

 --People, that was the first time I have played the piano

 in public in YEARS! Let me say that I was pretty happy that I didn't pass out!--

Here is a group picture of all of the girls here! I don't think I have posted ONE full picture yet so here we all are. 

Gorgeous? 

YUP.

Claudia is the one right next to me with dark hair.  I LOVE HER!
(Picture courtesy of Amanda's Facebook)

This next part is important.

Pay attention!

We discovered the most delicious thing in the WORLD.

Covrig. 

It's like a soft pretzel...filled with sweet, sweet goodness.

Apple, cherry, caramel, CHOCOLATE.

Chocolate is my favorite. 

YUM!

PEOPLE. It is only 1.50 LEI.

= about 50 CENTS!!!!!!!!!

I swear this recipe was invented by angels so that

we could have a little piece of Heaven here in Romania.

Thank the Heavens! 

**This is Britta and I on our way to the hospital.**

Covrig after the orphanage, before the hospital...

basically any time I leave my apartment...

I walk everywhere so it's okay right?

If I come back weighing in at 500lbs. you'll know why! Ha!

Monday we started our FIRST day at the hospital.

In case you didn't know I LOVE hospitals.

I feel like I use the word love frequently in this blog but I suppose 

I am just a loving person! 

(Or I desperately need a thesaurus...)

Well, I ADORE hospitals! :)

It's strange I know but I get really excited even if I SEE one.

I couldn't have been a happier volunteer than when I set foot inside that 

blessed place!

I wander the halls of the hospital asking for orphan children and I am 

directed into what at first glance are empty rooms but they actually have THIS in them.

I found this picture on the internet but it is pretty much exactly what 

it looks like when I go up to a crib! *Spit up included*

I know I shouldn't have been surprised by what I found but my years of babysitting

had filled my mind with something entirely different :

plush pillows, cushions, blankets, toys, a mobile, and lullaby music playing.

 Nope.

It's like this.

 

Hey, at least they have a bed right?

Right. :)

What do I do in the hospital?

I change diapers.

I wipe noses.

I hold and sing.

I clean up vomit. (All the time.)

I feed (the cheese in a bottle stuff).

There are a lot of children and surprising there are a lot of orphans

in the hospital that need some loving!

I am unbelievably grateful to be here and to wipe their little

noses and clean up their vomit!

SPOTLIGHT

 -Henry-

Yesterday I was on the prowl for babies in the hospital.

After using my broken Romanian

I was directed into a large empty room with one incubator in it.

What did I find?

Something pretty close to this.

But with a hat and content face more like this.

ADORABLE.

My heart just melted!

 Here was not just a baby. But an 8 DAY old baby.

Abandoned at 8 days and all alone in the world.

 (Even his room was empty!)

This sweet little boy doesn't even have a name yet.

Since every baby needs a name I named him Henry.

:)

(Henry is from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey-- Mr. Henry Tilney--now 

he will definitely grow up to be a little gentleman!)

I came back to see him today and again I found him alone. :(

His health problems are not too severe but I still am not allowed to pick him up.

He has cords and pumps galore and so I hold his little hands, stroke his hair, rub his back, and sing.

(softly and slightly off key but he doesn't mind!)

I spend all day with orphans. 

I spend all day with special needs orphans and very sick orphans.

Yet, I haven't cried over a child like I have this one...

 I just couldn't help thinking, "How could anybody abandon you? You are PERFECT! 

You are brand new! Soft, cuddly, searching brown eyes, tiny, innocent, beautiful, sweetly cooing, and just PERFECT! How could anyone not want you, want to keep you, love you, love EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU????!!!!"

Thank goodness I was alone with him or else the nurses might have asked me to leave if they saw me silently crying over this little baby boy...

His precious life has just begun...I...I just pray that someone will adopt him...

My mind was racing as I was thinking about all of the things that my lovely nieces and nephew had when they were born that this little one doesn't even know he is missing...

  All the luxury items in this picture are wonderful but the most important one is that woman right there. 

That is what this child needs. 

SOMEONE.

Anyone.

I think what broke my heart most what thinking that this little unnamed baby doesn't even know that he is alone...

He isn't old enough to know that yet...

I hope he NEVER has to find that out. 

Please be adopted Henry, oh please!

I love the orphanage that I volunteer at but I would give anything to see him not go there and instead go to a family that will hold him more than once a day, feed him REAL formula, and appreciate him for the brilliant child of God he is!

...I suppose that's enough of my wishful thinking for one day. 

I'll end with this then...

It's basically how I feel about these tiny humans... :) 

Oh Pooh Bear, you speak words of darling wisdom!

 

My Little BUNDLE of Joy

 Today was a good day. :)

A rainy day in Iasi is the perfect time to go to the orphanage!

All the children are bundled up like crazy in little stocking caps, fuzzy pants,

blankets, and have heaters in every room.

What a perfect day for cuddling with sweet little ones!

 This week we have gotten 4 new babes in my unit!

They've come from the hospital, other orphanages, and who knows where else!

Two days ago: 

One little boy that had just come in (he's 2) was shaking and hyperventilating he was SO

scared. How could you not be? 

You're all alone, in a new place, and will be there 24/7 with other orphans just like you until who knows when.

It reminded me of a quote from Mother Teresa: 

 “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.”  

After a while he teetered over to me and I picked him up.

He clung to me so tightly his little hands turned white. 

Then he started to just sob. :(

I rocked him for a long time until he calmed down. 

Today he is SO much better.

Today was a repeat of that experience except with a new baby with Down Syndrome and a little 2 year old girl with a failing heart condition. They are such troopers. I can't imagine being all alone in the world...

But you know something? 

They are NOT alone.

They have their Heavenly Father,

They have the wonderful orphanage workers.

They have me.

:)

It is  my job right now to make sure they know they ARE SO loved.

 (P.S.--I am like a ROCK when I am in the orphanage--no tears from me or any emotion other than happy, happy, happy. But once I get home I think about how scared and lonely they must have felt/feel and it breaks my heart...)

That was my day...how was yours? :)

Since I have so many kiddos I will do a spotlight of one for each post:

SPOTLIGHT:  

Emily

One of the children, let's call her Emily, was the first one I picked up today.

She is darling! She can't speak, or walk, or even sit up by herself, and her eyes go everywhere.

 But once she finds your eyes it's like she can't stop staring at you!

She's about 3 years old but I don't know how much she actually understands.

I still haven't gotten her write-up so I don't even know what she has...

REGARDLESS of what she has I spend as much time as I can loving her to pieces!

I held her and sang Disney songs to her and danced around the room with her.

She loves when I sing the song from Enchanted "How Do You Know".

It's SO cute when she gets excited about that one!

Her little arms and legs are stiff and she jerks her little body pretty often.

Whenever I kiss her on her cheek she gets the BIGGEST smile on her face and makes happy little noises!

Holding her is like nothing else I've ever experienced!

The absolute LOVE that I feel for this little girl already is overwhelming.

When I look at her I can just tell how much our Heavenly Father adores her!

I feel that way whenever I am with any of the children actually.

These are the most precious little people I have every had the honor to meet.

Maybe I sound silly since these aren't my own children but you know what?

I feel like they are mine.

I've caught myself reading child development books, parenting guides on how to properly teach your children, looking up fun songs to sing, etc. 

 I'm concerned for them all the time and I miss them

 RIGHT NOW.

I am so grateful that I to get to care for this little angel. 

Even if it's just for a little while...

 No, this isn't her but this is a cute kiddo too. 

I feel like you need to see some sweet little faces even though they aren't my little ones!

Let me just end this post with a quote from President Boyd K. Packer:

"[The] next time you cradle a child in your arms, you can have an inner vision of the mysteries and purposes of life."

I love that quote. Love it SO much.

It is a perfect example of how special each and every one of these children is

and how much potential they have!

Well, I hope you all are doing fantastic wherever you are.

If you have kids, siblings, anyone you care about...

if they are close to you right now here is a challenge:

Kiss them, hug them, squeeze them, tell them how much you love them.

Those little things are the big things and they are so precious and yet often taken for granted.

Many of these children don't receive those little things and yet need them more than anything!

So on that note... 

Te iubesc!

I love you!

P.S.--I start working in the hospital on MONDAY!
HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Prep yourself for an extra dose of oohing and awing!

The Best Days of My Life...in an Orphanage

ORPHANAGE: 

 

After rotating through the rooms in the orphanage

we determined the room we would each be working in for the next

3 MONTHS! 

Yeah!

(I never go to a different unit because these children need consistency in their lives and  we can form better bonds with each child if we stay in one room.)

 

I have had lots of people ask me what I 

will actually do in the orphanage.

Here's the answer:

Holding

Singing

Tickling

Feeding

Smiling

Laughing

Kissing

Hugging

LOVING

:)

I work in a room that has babies, infants, and the most severely disabled 

children in the orphanage. 

These children are DARLING!

There are about 20 some children in my little unit and I adore them!

This quote is perfect for how I feel EVERY day now. :)

 

 

Every day is my favorite day. :)

I know I have only been working for a week (and I am sure there will

be hard times ahead) but I am beaming with happiness!

 

Let me just set the scene for where I work.

Every child has his/her own crib and shares a room with about 5 other children.

These are the happiest, sweetest, cutest little kiddos I have ever met!

Every morning I am greeted with the BIGGEST smiles and the TINIEST hugs.

--They have small arms-- 

:)

I am in LOVE with these babes.

**DISCLAIMER: I'm not allowed to reveal names or post pictures of the children but I will use made-up names and provide other pictures. :)

I wish you could see these cuties! 

You'd buy a plane ticket and be right beside me. 

Seriously.

I will also include little educational tidbits about certain disorders I come in contact with for your reading pleasure.

Prepare to fall in love with these little ones like I am! 

Want to know what may day looks like?

It looks like THIS

I know I could post artsy photos of babies dressed as a kitten in a mailbox or something

like that but the pictures I will post are as close as I can give you to the real thing.

Plus, just look at that face! 

Yup.

I hold cuties for 3 hours a day in the orphanage. :)

Actually, that is something that I already will complain about.

I ONLY GET 3 HOURS A DAY IN THE ORPHANAGE!

What?!

I want to be there ALL day.

Everyday.

I would rather be there right now than anywhere else in the world.

Sorry Italy...

You were great but this is better.

Much better.

Now I don't just work with babies. 

The kids in my unit are ages 5 months to 11 years.

Nearly ALL are disabled in some way.

All of them are in cribs so you can imagine how severe some of their cases are. 

 As soon as I get their write-ups I can more accurately describe some of the

disabilities that I see everyday. 

One thing that is common with nearly all of my kids is that they have feeding tubes.

Giant pieces of  tape across a face never looked SO cute.

:)

Sorry this wasn't a super specific post and a little scattered--it's kinda late. 

Details will come soon I promise. :)

I just want you to know the general scene for the orphanage.

Prepare to let your heart melt!

Castles and Elevators

Romania is full of surprises. 

Before we could start in the orphanage we had to spend

some quality time getting to know our city.

IASI baby!

On my plane to Madrid there was a map of Romania

and there was no Iasi...

it was Lassie.

Pretty close. 

:)

There are a ton of dogs 

(but they're nice looking, should be curled up in your house, dogs)

roaming the streets of Iasi.

So Lassie is actually pretty accurate!

First stop: Las Vegas!

NO. I'm joking! Ha.

It is nice to see a little reminder of the States though. :)

 

Here is some of the gang!

They are all just the bee's knees. 

I recently had a silly discussion about bees and their knees 

recently and we concluded that using that phrase is strange 

but is still a nice compliment. 

Who doesn't love bees and their knees?

I don't know how much you know about Romania.

Probably about as much as me (which is nothing).

But it has some really beautiful places!

Churches, castles, the mall...um...

that's really as far as I've gotten in my Romanian travels...

I'll let you know when I see more than that!

This is the Palace of Culture. 

It looks like Cinderella's castle at Disneyland.

I love you Romania for building pretty castles. 

Thanks. :)

 

This is Palas Mall. 

WHAT?!

Yep. 

Huge and perfectly landscaped.

They certainly know how to build malls in Romania!

 

Here's a glam shot of my adorable roommates and me in front of a fountain

at the mall.

 

**DISCLAIMER: It is my goal to NEVER do my hair in Romania and to 

only wear mascara--I feel make-up naked...

:(

That is why I feel like I look a little haggard in all of these pictures. 

Enjoy anyway. Just don't look too close. 

 

P.S.--If you've noticed the cute little black thing on my foot in every picture,

that would be my brace. I tore my peroneus longus and brevis in a freak

biking accident. 

(Actually my old roommate was teaching me how to ride a bike in Provo 

Canyon and this is what happened.) 

Ya, never riding a bike again anytime soon!

 

Seriously...there is a palace?

May I present for your viewing pleasure...

(again because I think it is really cool)

the Palace of Culture.

Unfortunately it is closed and so I cannot be cultured.

Bummer.

 

Did I mention that the mall has a merry-go-round outside?

I didn't?

Well it DOES. 

And it is AWESOME.

Mall + palace + carousel = I want to play...er stay here forever.

Well my day wouldn't have been complete if it wasn't for this next little joy 

of an event.

SO I am not going to disclose TOO many details here 

because I am not entirely sure who all is reading this.

Just in case there is a Romanian elevator maintenance man reading this...

I'm really sorry... :/

Here's the abbreviated (and edited) version of this story.

My roommates and I were out to get pastries from the shops

outside our apartment that evening.

Once in the elevator  X XXXX XXXX XXXX and then XX XXXXXX.

Next thing you know we are stuck in the elevator...

If you didn't read 2 blogs ago you don't know that the elevator is

tiny.

We called Mario our facilitator to ask what we should do.

Here is the advice she gave us.

YELL!

 Ajutor, ajutor, ajutor! (help) --With lots of banging on the door.

HA!

Eventually people came to our aid.

They were able to pry the outside door open and pulled us out to safety!

Hooray!

Since I am ridiculous I figured that we needed to document our being 

stuck in the elevator due to X XXX XXXXXXX.

Here are our gorgeous faces when we were stuck.

:) 

Ah, memories. 

 

I will never be the same after that elevator incident. Ha!

Well those were my grand adventures in Romania before starting work!

Next up: Orphanage day one! 

My real first day in the orphanage was TODAY 

so I am almost caught up on my blogging!

 

Strolling with the Sistas!

Arriving in Iasi was a little intimidating but 

mostly just EXCITING!

So many people have been really welcoming and helpful.

The sister missionaries are angels and have shown us around

the town and have been so friendly. :)

Let me start this Romanian blog off by taking you on a brief tour.

Here is Iasi!

...Um. This is a sidewalk.

This is where we have church! Our branch is really great!

3 sets of missionaries, roughly 20 members, 10 BYU interns

= Good times all around and lots of translating

Aren't the sisters just the most beautiful people in this world?

The answer if you were struggling is 

YES!

(Sorry I didn't notice Sister Bennett had her eyes closed until now 

or else I would have taken another. Beautiful anyway)

Here is the view out of the church window. 

Welcome friends and family to the beautiful city I get to spend the 

next few months in! 

 

Everyone always tells us that if we get lost then to find the "river" and we can

figure out our way from there. 

So. Here is the Riv. 

I named it that just now. 

 What's my favorite part of the river?

The HORSES and the WAGONS and men FISHING

in it because it is SO small! 

You can kind of see the wagons on the side of the river on the right side. 

No biggie.

 Just some horses hanging out by the river in a really busy city.

It's Romania!

 

Here is the less flattering side of the "river". 

Pretty, no?

No.

Well that was fun. 

Here's a picture of a street. 

Prettier pictures to come.

This was just to set your standards kind of low so that 

the next post will BLOW YOU AWAY!

You'll like it trust me.