Evan and the Babies: The Path Report

The day doesn't start when the alarm goes off or with breakfast. It starts with "what is the condition of the path we take to the clinic?" This morning snow had started to fall again and the mud had frozen so it was actually a pretty easy walk. We arrived to find out that Ionut and Ema had both gone to the hospital because of fevers, and for Ema, seizures. Dear, sweet Ema Elena - I suspect she won't be back before our last day on Friday. Maybe we can get into the hospital to see her and Ionut. Normally only family are allowed to visit but Miahela the Country Manager (and our team leader's wife) knows someone at the hospital and has gotten volunteers in before.

On the subject of hospitals, Ion came back today. He is in the isolation room with Victor.We were happy to see him and he seemed very happy to see us! We held him and played with him and he kept saying "mama." He remembered how to blow kisses - one of his favorite things.

Daria Roxana who left for cleft palate surgery is expected back today but hadn't returned when we left at about 6:15 pm. She was coming by ambulance from Iasi, about 2 and a half hours north of here.

We had a good morning. Alina and Lea Celine visited the non-mobile room for awhile. Celine loves the babies. I held Denisa sitting on the floor and Celine gave her hugs and pats on her head and kisses. Too cute. Alina on the other hand smacked the twins once or twice. I think it was by accident...or not. No major harm done.

I told the twins today that Autnie Cora and Auntie Karen loved them and we gave them as much attention as we could. Andreea rolled from her tummy to her back (if I have them straight) and they had twin time and generally did ok. I think Roxana ate better than Andreea at one feeding and vice versa at another.

Gaby wanted nothing to do with the soup bottle at 9 but dipped her fingers into the yogurt at 10:30 (she won't eat from a spoon.) I had bought a few baby biscuits and we tried to feed them to a few of the kids. Lea Celine chewed away at some of it and Gaby gummed it. The rest weren't interested so they will go to the mobiles. When the milk bottle came at noon Gaby downed it in record time. Petre didn't finish his bottle so I offered it to Gaby but she didn't want it.

Petre can stand if you hold his fingers. He actually is pretty steady on his strong little legs. He is so close to crawling. He can sit by himself but usually gets all excited and loses his balance.

Marius was getting a nebulizer treatment when he arrived this morning. He and Andrei are still in the isolation bedroom but were let lose in walkers this morning, along with Sami. I'm not getting to see as much of Marius and Andrei as I would like. It is hard to go into their room because when you leave they pitch a fit.

I visited Maria Cleopatra in her room with Daniela and then with Gaby who were both interested in the mobile above Maria's bed. Then, Caroline managed to lift Maria (not easy with the weight of her head) and brought her into the non-mobile room. Lea Celine was very interested in her as was Petre. I think Maria was noticing activ ity in the room - it is hard to tell because of the way her eyes roll around in her head but she seemed to be responding.

Denisa spent some time in the "kicker" seat where if the baby kicks the screened end of the seat with his/her feet a song plays. Well, she did it! More than once! Not bad for 3 months old. Rosie discovered that if Gaby put her face up to the screen on the bottom of that seat and Rosie wiggled her hand on Gaby's face on the other side that Gaby thought that was just hysterical. Not sure I've ever heard her laugh that loud and long.

We had Mihaela in the room this afternoon and Alexandra and Alina in the room for a shorter time. Mihaela actually seemed to know how to use Rosie's camera - definitely for looking at pictures. At one point she took a picture of her tonuge (pic not on this blog!) Then our little gymnast Mihaela climbed up between the two sinks.

The non-mobile room was like an oven. Fortunately Rosie figured out how to turn down the radiator. I had the mask pulled over my nose and mouth so as not to transmit cold germs so that made it even hotter for me. I probably could have drank the whole liter bottle of water at dinner.

BTW, for those of you who have read the first two Stieg Larsson books, I have now read the 3rd book! It is called "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Next" or something like that and Rosie had it in paperback. It is a really long book so I may not even finish all of the books I brought - all 10 of them.

Here are some pix! (For some reason not all my pictures are uploading to my computer. I took some of Ion but they didn't upload. Will try again tomorrow.)