July Berline Update

Hello Andrew & Christy,

This month in honor of the women who are making the most impact on Berline’s life we snapped a photo of her with each of their three primary nannies.   It is very traditional here in Haiti to refer to a “motherly” woman in your life as “Mommy”.  So here at the Toddler House the kids refer to their nannies as “Mommy “ + followed by the woman’s first name.  Such as “Mommy Marielle”. 

“Mama” is the title we keep reserved for the woman who raised your child before they came to GLA, whether it be their Haitian birth mother, or grandmother, or aunt, or whomever took the place of mother, and it is also the term we refer to for YOU, their new Mama.  We try to keep these terms very separate to help signify the permanent importance that YOU will have in their life, when they are able to become a part of their new family with you. 

Your child’s three primary caregivers are:

Clarna 

Se Ketlie

Nadia

Summer vacation is about to begin here at the toddler house. For the teachers it means a time to become refreshed and prepare for the next year ahead. For the rest of us it means eighty- five kids ready for summer activities. The kids have so many ideas of what summer vacation means and have no problem sharing those ideas with us all day long. Pool parties, late movie nights, walks in the neighborhood, trips to the soccer fields and so much more. Berline doesn’t seem to have too bad of a case of summer fever. Berline enjoys being busy and not having school for a month is a bit of an overwhelming thought for her.  

Berline is working hard in school and desires to please her teachers. She is kind and respectful to both her teachers and her peers. At times Berline will become overwhelmed and needs a few minutes to remove herself. Berline will ask to sit outside for five to ten minutes then knock on the door and be ready to get back to work. Berline tends to do much better with the short break and has a much better attitude when returning to class. Berline prefers hands on activities that involve a lot of movement and actions. She does well with crafts and art which grabs her interest more than reading and writing.

Berline has become very good friends with the kitchen ladies here at the house. Usually wherever they are she isn’t far behind. Berline loves to be called on to help with dishes, sweeping or washing down the tables. The ladies love Berline and they have a great relationship with each other. Berline is often found joking around with them and even sits and takes breaks with them at the same time.  J

When Berline is in the yard during free time she is rarely found without three or four of our youngest girls nearby. She continues to desire to teach them and love on them. Berline has an incredible amount of patience and will sit and teach them for as long as they are willing to sit. Her kind heart and gentle spirit is enjoyed by all the younger girls as they have such a strong desire to be sought out by her.

My mom came for her yearly visit this month and with that came all types of fun. New crafts, fun movies, outdoor activities and by far the best, a huge flip-flop shaped piñata. From the day she arrived the kids would follow Barb around asking over and over “today piñata?” Well finally the day came and eighty five sets of eyes were glued as the piñata was lowered to from the balcony. With so many children and one piñata we were worried about the younger kids getting pushed around so we stationed volunteers all over the balconies with bags full of popcorn, lollipops, gum sunglasses, cars, kids jewelry and so much more ready to cover the yard as the piñata busted open. Knowing we needed to give every child a few whacks at it we reinforced the piñata with packing tape ahead of time to ensure the piñata could stand all eight five kids. From oldest to youngest the kids came up and took their best swing at the sandal trying to release the good inside. Finally after all the kids went through we picked one of the larger boys and told him to go nuts. Finally the piñata came down with cheers from the crowd as treats came showering down on them. We watched as the children shimmied across the yard scooping up all in their paths. With arms full and candy still on the ground the children would bring their treasures to their nannies and ask them to guard it as they dropped down and scooped up more. The rest of the morning was full of excitement as the children wandered around making trades and showing off all their new prizes.

Berline is healthy and doing well. Her current measurements are

 Height: 126 cm

Weight: 54.5 lbs 

Blessings,
Joyce