Hello! It feels like it's been awhile since I posted an update, but things around here have been very busy, which I'm beginning to learn is the constant state of being around here. I'm still loving the work that I do, but also still missing home a lot. That's the price you pay for having amazing family and friends, I guess! But every day gets a little easier, and I'm truly enjoying the time I spend in the nursery. We got a new baby, so we're up to 37. We've reached our full capacity, so we'll have to wait until one or more of the babies get adopted before we're able to accept any more. It's amazing to walk from room to room in the nursery and to see so many tiny people being cared for and loved. We've had several new volunteers come (yes, I'm considered one of the more "experienced" volunteers with three whole weeks under my belt!), and it's true what they say about teaching being a great way to learn. I feel like, because I've had to teach new people what to do, I truly realize how much I know about what I'm doing here.
Because life has settled into a bit of a routine from day-to-day, I thought I'd give you a picture of what my day looks like. This is going to be rather long, so if you're just looking for a concise update, feel free to skip the end. I keep getting questions from some people about what I do all day, so this is for you all. I'll be updating again tomorrow with some stories about some of the babies, and also about the hospital trip that I'm taking tomorrow. I sincerely hope that this finds you well, and don't forget to email me! I can't always check the comments on my blog, so if you want me to see what you're saying to me, send it in an email! Love you all, and missing you, too!
First, I'll give you a picture of how things are divided and what they look like. The babies are divided by age and developmental level into different nurseries. The prem babies and newborns are in the Nest, which is a small room lined with bassinets. It's always warm and cozy, and is probably the most peaceful place on the whole farm. There are currently 11 nest babies. The main nursery has the 3-6 month old babies who are still receiving bottles every four hours, called Fledgies, and is also shared with the Grubs, who are the babies that are beginning to eat solids. They range in age from 6 to 15 months. The main nursery has two sleeping areas, one for the Fledgies and one for the Grubs, and also a large, open playroom. There are 6 Fledgies and 12 Grubs right now. The older toddlers, called the Creepies, have their own bedroom and a separate playroom. There are 7 Creepies who are between 15 months to our oldest, who is almost 4. Because there is such a big age range, we're about to restructure the groups and create one for the toddlers between 12 and 24 months.
I'm usually scheduled to start my day at 6am. I generally roll out of bed, throw on jeans and a t-shirt, and head into the nursery. It's still chilly in the mornings and the evenings, so I usually wear a sweatshirt for the walk to the nursery. I'm still spending most of my time with the Fledgies and Grubs, which is great because they're my favorite group. There is usually one person assigned to Fledgies, another to the Grubs, and another to as a "flier," who assists whoever needs help at the time. The babies are just starting to wake up around the time I get there in the morning, so as they wake up, they get their "nappies" changed and get a morning bottle. If there is time, we'll start giving baths before breakfast, which is around 8. Mealtimes tend to be hectic with the Grubs, and usually requires the assistance of anyone within earshot. The babies are all hungry, and each baby has a pretty specific diet depending on how old they are, how well they eat, and their own personal dietary needs (we have a few who are allergic to dairy so they get soymilk, etc.). The babies are lined up in seats on the floor, and each volunteer tries to feed as many as they can at one time. It's pretty funny, really, but can also be really stressful with all of the noise! After breakfast, the Grubs need to be bathed. We try to get baths done by snacktime, which is around 10, and is immediately followed by naptime. This gives us around an hour and a half to get 12 babies bathed in one of the 2 tubs that we have. If we get done early, then we start on Fledgie baths, although they can be bathed during the Grubs naptime. During naptime, the kitchen staff provides us with tea (a fabulous tradition, which I intend to bring home with me!), so I might have time to grab a quick cup of tea and a snack before I straighten the nursery up in preparation for lunchtime. At this point, I might be rotated around to spend an hour or two in the Nest, which simply entails feeding tiny babies every 3 hours, changing nappies, and giving baths. I find the Nest to be the least stressful of the nurseries, so it's somtimes a nice break to be scheduled in the Nest! Then I usually head back to the main nursery and the Fledgies and Grubs. They all get their nappies changed after their nap, and then lunchtime is around 12:30. Once again, mealtime is crazy and chaotic, but it usually calms down significantly for the afternoon. There's another naptime around 2, and then they wake up for afternoon tea around 3:30. The older babies actually drink tea! We brew weak Rooibis tea, lightly sweetened, and they LOVE it. It cracks me up! I might get sent back to the Nest for a few hours in the afternoon, or rarely to the Creepies, where the main job is just to play with the kids. With the Creepies, we often take them outside to play on the playground or go on a walk. But usually, I just say with my Fledgies and Grubs. We have some freetime in the afternoon, which is great for working with individual babies on sitting up or crawling or reaching for toys. It's probably my favorite time of day, because we get out a bunch of mats to put the babies on, and have time to just play with them. It's good for us and it's good for the babies! Dinner is aroun 5, and the 5 o'clock hour has been dubbed "happy hour" here, because it's just plain loud and chaotic. The Grubs all scream because they're hungry and we can't feed them fast enough, and the Fledgies all scream because it's loud. It's organized chaos, and everyone is ready for bed when it's done! We change them all into PJs, give them their evening bottles, and put them all in bed around 7. Believe it or not, that's always a very quiet time of the night-they all just lay down and go to sleep! And then I'd be off the schedule around 7. During the day, we usually get a one or two hour break, so in all, we're currently working 11 hour days. Mealtimes for adults are rather unformal. We usually just grab a plate when the breakfast/lunch/dinner bell rings and bring it back to the nursery to eat when we have a spare second. At the end of the day, we all head back to our cottages and occasionally watch a movie or gather around a bonfire, but we're usually so tired that we just go to bed! Okay, I think that's about all for this update. Once again, I'll be updating again tomorrow, so check back!
