"Em, you're gonna make an excellent mum"

With my tummy still on the fritz, I powered through work today like a champ.  The kids however, were more vocal about their feelings.  There were lots of tantrums, lots of poop and copius amounts of pee (or, 'wee' as my Australian mates would call it).  I just plugged my nose and worked through all the bodily fluids being thrown at me.

The 1 year old twin girls, Lita and Lida are leaving the orphanage tomorrow.  I would like to say this is bittersweet but honestly, it's only bitter.  The twins haven't been adopted, their HIV positive parents decided to take them back.  I've seen the parents before and I'm sorry to say I am not impressed.  The mother and father have filthy clothing and look unwell.  I should be happy the girls are going back home but I worry for their safety.  Hopefully, I have incredibly misjudged these people.  Hopefully Lita and Lida get plenty of love, an education and security. 

On a better note, tomorrow all the volunteers are taking all the children (except the 2 infants) to the water park!  I cannot wait to see their smiling faces as they splash around and go down slides.  Even the dissabled children are allowed to go.  They are going to have a blast. 

Two nurses a few years older than me came in to visit the children.  They have recently opened up a clinic in a nearby province.  I was holding and rocking baby Pissat to sleep when one came to check his breathing.  He needs medication, as I expected.  Still holding the baby, another volunteer stood next to us.  She bluntly said, "Em, you're gonna make an excellent mum."  I don't know if I was just overly emotional but I nearly cried.  It was such a simple thing for this woman to say and it touched my heart.

After I placed the baby in his crib, I saw Shylee (Autistic girl) looking up to no good.  Sure enough the 10yr old girl had pooped on the patio.  I was beyond grateful that another worker saw and was going to clean it up.  5 minutes later, Shylee peed on the floor.  I cleaned her up and tried to be positive.  I thought maybe she wasn't getting enough attention.  So I played ring-around-the-rosie with her.  She was laughing and smiling.  Immediately after "ashes ashes, we all fall down" she peed.  I cleaned her up and tried even harder to be positive.  Regardless of my positive attitude she continued to pee on the floor and she never peed when I took her to the toilet.  All she did was eat soap and spit on me.  Interesting....  Very interesting.

Completely drained from work, my roommate Louise and I decided we wanted pizza.  We went home, washed all the interesting smells off ourselves, grabbed Emma and headed for the mall.  We had yummy veggie pizzas and garlic bread.  Followed by frozen yogurt with chocolate chips.  I haggled a fair price with a tuk tuk driver and we headed home.  Now, totally awake from the soda I drank with dinner, I'm trying hard to feel tired.  I have to get up early tomorrow and I want to be well rested for the kiddies.  I'll try and sleep now.  Going to bed with good thoughts about kind words on my motherly abilities.