24-8-2010

We got soup, popcorn and chocolate milk for all the kids on Cristina´s birthday.

Claudio was happy playing with the new toys!

Francesco finally feels more comfortable with the new environment.

Lemar´t was so excited about the milk we made!

All the welcomes from Claudio, Cielo and Julio always made me feel so warm.

I continue to take care of Francesco, who has been attached to me more and more each day. I took him to the therapy sessions with me as he kept waiting for me outside although sometimes I told him that he had to wait for me. He longed for playing the toys so much, and I would let him as the right time came. He loved riding the motorcycle even though it´s for smaller kids. He is basically an example of kids deprived of toys, play and games, and therefore he has been fascinated by everything that is fun in the home. I slept with him on Sunday night, and he didn´t urinate in bed! But last night I didn´t, so I guess I will have to stay with him for a little while more. It´s tough work as I don´t sleep as well since I have to take care of him and can´t sleep too deeply. But the most important thing is to keep him safe and let him feel secure and adjust to the home easily. Today I was a bit strict to him that he didn´t want to do the laundry and started to play with the toys I got him, and so I took them away. He then went to his room and locked the door. Later, he unlocked the door, but he tried to avoid me. I knew then I did a wrong thing. I have been so used to doing behavioral therapy that I forgot the aspects that he was abandoned, neglected, and he was a little sick and hungry. Plus, who wants to do laundry by hands, especially kids! And taking away something from a kid who had recently been abandoned was such a bad idea. I tried to be near him little by little, and I apologized that I wouldn´t take away things from him like that again and told him that I love him, but at the same time he has to attend to his responsibilities sometimes. After a while he started to soften and cheer up although it wasn´t an easy task. Then I bathed him before we rushed to lunch at 2:30pm.

The kids have been noticing that I have spent so much time with him, and at lunch they asked me about him and I told them that he still needs time and patience to adjust to the new environment with all the strangers. Sonia then told me that she and Jhosmelyr, her sister, were exactly the same when they first came, and it had been really hard. She told me that her home didn´t have bathroom neither, just like Francesco. Suddenly I wanted to burst into tears as I never thought about their past living condition and what I have seen is what they are now. It suddenly makes me feel how much love and care I have to give me while I am still here.