Following the Father

• When an older child burps we ask then to say excuse me.  When you finish feeding a baby you set them upright and (depending on whether the feeder is male or female) use phases like "Give me a good belch buddy!"  "Alright lets burp now, oh good job sweetie!"  "That was a good one, do you have any more?"  The funniest thing is when the baby doesn't burp a bit so you increase the patting and the "burper" ends up being the one to taste their supper again from patting the baby against their chest over and over!

• Body functions become a completely casual conversation topic.  We write down on a chart how much the babies eat, when they eat, when they have bowl movements, if they've vomited, and if they take any medicine, to help us know when they need something and what they need.  So asking the consistency and contents of a diaper to chart and discussing a particular baby's body pattern it is no big deal.

• You start using a lot of code words and phrases to save time.  BM is our code word for a dirty diaper.  It's also the initials we use on the chart.  You also hear things like, "I'm a one twenty" to someone who's already standing over the chart marking something.  This means that "The baby I just fed ate 120 cc of milk, could you please mark that on the chart for me while you're there?"  Then if they haven't already told you, you glance to see which baby they have or say "who are you?" or, "who do you have?" so you know which baby to mark under on the chart. 

•  As I've already mentioned rocking becomes as natural as breathing, whether it's rocking yourself and a baby who's in your arms in a rocking chair, or rocking a baby whos in a baby chair with your foot, or rocking two babies with your feet who are in chairs, or doing all of the above at the same time!  Jennifer (who's now left and is back in the U.S.) was standing near a full sized rocking chair and as she was charting and started rocking this big chair with her foot.  She laughed at herself when she finally realized what she was doing!  I've sat in a rocking chair so much already that I bet sitting in a normal chair at some point might feel strange.  Just for a moment I tried rocking the normal chair I was sitting in holding a baby during devotions one time.

Hello everyone!
After being here almost two weeks and being basically adjusted to the daily routine I feel like I've been here forever.  I still know little Chinese, and sure don't know all the kid's names, but I'm making some progress.

Right now I'm missing devotions and taking the opportunity of rare quietness to type this e-mail.

Today Aunt Bev took time off of baby work to work on send out a sponsor update letter to donators and people who sponsor kids at the orphanage.  Show-ah (I spelled her name how it sounds, not how it's actually spelled) Rachow (sounds just like Rachel only with a W at the end) and I took care of the babies in the morning then Rachow, Jennifer and I were on duty for the afternoon. 
Rachow is a high schooler that lives at the home who is helping right now with the babies when she's not at school. 
Show-ah is a wonderful Christian Chinese lady who works here everyone week days from morning till early evening, and on Saturday just mornings.  She does not come in on Sunday.  I really enjoy Show-ah, she has such a loving heart for these babies and the people around her.  I feel very at ease and relaxed with her. 

Today was a busy day with the babies.  We didn't have as many arms to hold babies as what we sometimes do so they seemed very fussy.  When it's play time for them they are all brought out to the kitchen.  When they are all out and rolling on the floor on blankets, and sitting in bouncy chairs and on people's laps you can hardly step anywhere.  Anna (who's from the United States and helps run the orphanage) has to walk through the kitchen alot, so she has an interesting time trying to make her way through the maze of squirming bodies.

We have another adoptive couple now here.  They are here to pick up Jackson, a 5 month old cutey pie.  They flew in Thurs. night.

The day before yesterday I went along to take three babies and the 15 month old that lives on the older kids side of the orphanage to the doctor.  They needed some shots and had a brief check up.  It was the first time I had ridden anywhere since being here so it felt great to get out.  I got to see the town near here that's much bigger than where we are, so that's where you go for shopping and doctor's visits and much more.  I also got to briefly see more pretty country side as we were driving around.  I didn't take a camera but even if I did I wouldn't have gotten any pictures because I was holding at least one of the little ones the whole time.

I think the kids are getting more comfortable with me.  Some of the elementary aged girls like to sneak up behind and tickle my ribs and the preschoolers are at ease around me and like it when I give them some attention.

Well, kids should be flooding back in soon to give back the babies (the older ones are allowed to hold babies during devotions) so I probably should go!  I will e-mail pictures separately.

In HIM,
~Elizabeth

I took this shot from the roof of the Children's Home.  There's some rooms up here along with a coutyard type play area.  This is looking out over the neighboring houses.  See all the green vegetation?  It's a beautiful island!

I'd post more, but the computer won't let me upload the rest!  I'll try again later.

In HIM,

~Elizabeth

I'm sorry it's taken so long to get an update on here.  I copy paste alot of my writing here and the last time I tried to post here it wouldn't let me paste!  But I'm alive and well!  I arrived in Taiwan December 28th and swung right in to the routine of things around here and haven't looked back since!

I guess I'll go ahead and write out what I mean about the "routine" of things so everyone knows what I'm normally up to.

Depending on what time I go to bed decides when I wake up. (isn't that so unusual?)  If I go to bed early (9:00-9:30) I get up and help with the 5:00 feeding.  But most of the time it's 10:30 or later so I get up later.  Jennifer takes nights right now.  She keeps track of the babies during that time while everyone gets their beauty sleep.  She sometimes gets some sleep during this time, sometimes not so much.  She then goes to bed when others get up in the morning and she sleeps till the afternoon.

For breakfast I do not eat with chop sticks, which is the only meal that is so.  They have cereal on this side which I eat in the morning.
When I say on "this side" I'm referring to the side of the building that is the Skiles home, the babies area and where I have a room.  Also the adoptive couples who stay here and pick up a baby or an older child. (only a few of the older children are adoptable)  Then there's a door inside that you can walk to the orphanage side of the building that has everyone who's 2 years and older.  All the children have a nanny who lives here with them, I'm not sure how many kids are assigned to one nanny, but these ladies are wonderful.

Most mornings I'm on this side of the home helping feed, change, rock, and kiss babies.  There is one couple here right now picking up a baby girl named Katie and later this month another couple will be coming to pick up their baby, who's named Jackson.  That will take the number of babies here down to 10, but there's 3 babies that are "in the works" which means their cases are being considered and worked on.  There's a 5 month old who's close to arriving, but there's still some paper work that needs to be gotten for her.

The older kids go to school in the morning and get back at varius times.  Some of the high schoolers stay at school almost all day to study for tests.  Chinese schools revolve alot around big tests that you take to get into the next level, like college. 

When it's lunch time all kids make a line for their table. (and if I'm there in time I join) Then Ted Skiles asks everyone to say the memory verse for the week.  (all in Chinese) Then they pray and sometimes sing a song then everyone goes and sits at their table.  Then food is passed around (everything you put together in one small bowl) After everyone serves themselves they wait again for Ted who raises his hand for silence then asked them something and then all the kids thank the cook for the food.  The fruit is dessert and saved for last so that everyone gets some.  Everything is eaten with chop sticks, which I'm getting pretty good at using I think. :o)

After that the kids rest so that the nanny's can.  Life with that babies continue.  Around 2:00-3:00 I have time to do other things, either get out and take a walk, do school work, or take a nap if I didn't sleep well. (which normally I sleep very soundly)  The other day a walked to the lake that's very close here and walked around the lake.  It was so beautiful!  The couple here adopted the baby walked around too.

Baby work and play continues.

I try to get out and be with the other kids, though I can't understand hardly anything they say.  I just smile and be near them.  When the kids get home from school and are playing outside that's when I normally spend some time out there.

Baby work still continues untill supper time, which is 6:00.
At 7:20 is devotions.  Ted Skiles leads this again.  The older children like to hold the babies during this time, and normally all the babies attend devotions.

After that life with babies continues untill bed time.  All during the day we're having very interesting and stimulating conversations, and laugh a whole lot!  Bev has a quick tongue and keeps us laughing.  Everyone talks and smiles as we change the dirty diapers.  Showhwa (English name is Michelle) works here and helps with the babies.  She's here week days and is a wonderful fun lady.  She's so good with these babies.

Jennifer and I are getting to know each other. (she's an intern and she's my age)  Yesterday we had a ton of fun cleaning out the cookie crumbs from the bottom of the container of a package of cookies that a lady made and sent all the way here for the kids from the States!  And yes there were whole cookies still in one piece in the package!  We had fun, and Bev got a good laugh from us, and took a picture.  Jennifer has it on her camera, so I don't have it yet.

Well I'm going to go now and get into the swing of things again.
Thank you all again for your prayers and support in every way!

In HIM,
~Elizabeth