I just wanted to share a little about each of our kids in the home. For those who have been here, or who follow Daryl or other's blogs, this will be repeat information, but I these kids are my life, and I thought it might be nice for those who don't know them to meet them!
Appologies, photo time is not always the activity of choice!
Alejandra is the oldest in our grouphome. She is 13 years old, and has cerebral palsy, and is nonverbal. But Alejandra is super smart! She loves doing puzzles, and she loves singing "Let it Go". She is a bit of a diva and loves anything pink or princess related. Ale has come a long way, and she can even hold herself in a standing position at our standing bar for to minutes. Ale loves spending time with teams as they visit, and her smile is simply stunning.
Yenifer is 13 years old, and has Noonan syndrome and cognitive delays. She has a strong presence and brings lots of smiles. She is very silly at times but has a loving heart. She loves to come and give big hugs and kisses on the cheek. She adores Ruavis and often stops us to show us that "look at Ruavis, he's sleeping". She speaks Spanish, though as I like to point out, my Spanish is bad, hers is crazy! When she is angry she will often say "you'll never eat chicken"! Yeni is a joy to love each day! 
Brayan is 13 years old, but has significant cognitive delays. He speaks, although if you give him a choice between two things, he always chooses the second thing you say, even if it's pizza or broccoli. He has a number of social tendencies which resemble autism, though this is just an observation. He wants to help out so much, and his favorite thing is going to help Mr. Beyer with some carpentry project or cement work. He loves when he gets to help set the table. He also likes to help us take out the trash. 
Rafael is 9 years old and has cerebral palsy. He seems very quiet and innocent, but inside he is very mischievous! He is nonverbal and only really uses one arm and one leg, but he loves to wreak havoc with that arm and leg! This is very good because when he first came he did not move, and was very docile. Now, he kicks that leg like there's no tomorrow and squeals with delight. If you catch his eye during supper, he gets a silly sideways grin on his face and pretends he doesn't see you while he bounces his head from side to side. I love playing with him when I carry him to change his diaper, or when I feed him. 
Angelita is 8 years old, and has hydrocephalus. As a result, she has a significant amount of brain damage. Although she is 8 years old, she still wears 2T clothes and is the size of a toddler. Some might think that nobody is home, but we know better. She is so beautiful, and although it can be hard to get a reaction out of her, her smile could stop the world in it's tracks. Often people look past her to the cute babies, or attention grabbing twins, Gio, Yeni, or Brayan, but she is the very best cuddle buddy and I love holding her while I study, or frankly any time!
The twins Esther and Raquel are almost 4 years old, but have some physical, cognitive, verbal, and social delays. They only speak simple words or two word phrases, still walk with the toddle waddle, and we are still working on potty training. They are full of energy and life, and are so bubbly and cute. They love snuggling, but also want to run and shout and play loud. You can often spot them after lunch running around the circle holding hands and giggling. Where one goes, the other tends to follow. It's about the best thing ever when I come home after a long trip and hear their voices shouting to me "kati, kati!", followed by a hug to each of my legs. 
Humberto is 3 years old, and has cerebral palsy. He is a very smart kid trapped in a body that he can't control. He loves when you dance with him, and he is quick to flash a heart stopping smile. He has a lot of spasms that frustrate him, but a hug or game of smiles are sure to bring back his smile. He cannot talk, but makes very happy vocalizations when you play with him. He enjoys being brought up to the dinner table to be a part of the group even when he is fed before the meal. I have grown to love his morning bottle before all the kids get up. He smiles at me so big sometimes that he has stopped eating! 
Giovanni is our two year old terror! He has microcephalus, and cognitive delays. He is staggeringly cute, especially with his ridiculous glasses and slightly crossed eyes. Trouble is his middle name, and he is always getting into something. He, like the twins, loves to run and play. Giovanni is a lot of energy and curiosity wrapped in a small package. He doesn't speak many words, but I love it when he thanks me with a "tata, teti". I love getting him up from nap before he is fully awake because he will latch his arms around my neck, and his legs around my waist, and just hang on for a while. 
Ruavis is almost 2 years old, and has cerebral palsy. When he came, he was in a state of almost constant seizures. He is a chunky little monkey, and he is both perfect for cuddling, and as squirmy as can be. Ruavis is sometimes overlooked when teams some through, but when someone takes the time, they find quite a treasure in him. He loves to be held and rocked in the hammock swing. Ruavis is so precious! Sometimes when you catch him at just the right moment, you can rock him to sleep while he is relaxed. I love it when he smiles in his sleep!
Olimpia is now 18 months old. She has down syndrome, and when she came, she was severely malnourished at 5.5lbs at 5.5 months old. Now, this is not the case! She is a chunky little bundle of joy. After the worst of days, simply pick her up and hold her for 5 minutes and you will immediately feel relaxed and happy from the contagious joy she emanates. She does not crawl, but rather scoots all over the house with her hand in the air. Olimpia lickes everything and everyone! We are accumulating a list of all the things we tell her not to lick. Olimpia, stop lisking your sister's butt; don't like the wheelchair; why are you licking the dog?!?
Rosaliinda came with severe malnutrition and delays as a result. She is 16 months old, and is gaining weight slowly, but she has grown much in strength. Much of her hair has grown back in, and she slides across the house on her belly. She has recently begun to crawl a few paces up on her hands and knees. Rosa is beginning to speak simple words, but she understands a lot and is very smart. It boggles the senses to see a baby so tiny doing things like sitting on her own, maneuvering and crawling, and holding her own bottle. I love it when Rosa winks at me, and whenever anyone tells her that they love her, she blows them a kiss.
Alison came to us just under two weeks ago. She is 6 weeks old now, and has down syndrome. She is a precious joy, and I adore holding her. She has slept through the night all this week, and may just continue doing so. She is a very content baby, but lets her needs be known with a short cry. She is not fussy, although when she wants to be awake, she can be quite squirmy. I love watching her play. She already has stolen part of my heart, and we race each other to get to feed her her bottle! I can't wait to discover more about her as she grows!
And there are the kids who are no longer in the home.
Esperenza came to the home from the hospital where she had been abandoned. Her needs were severe, leaving her blind and mostly deaf. She has clover head syndrome which involves severe pressure and swelling in her head and brain. The family knew that they were bringing her home to love until Jesus took her home. She celebrated her 6 month birthday here with her family. And she was carried home with more love in her short time than others experience in a lifetime. Esperanza died on January 6, 2014. I regret that I never got to meet her or hold and love on her, although she was loved across countries. She was a beautiful life entrusted to a time to a loving family for a short time. 
Thania was 13 years old when she went home to Jesus. I never got to meet her either. She was very small weighing only 19 pounds at 13 years old when she came, but through love and a feeding tube she gained some weight. She died 6 months to the day after Esperanza, and very suddenly and unexpectedly. Again, Thania was very loved, and had a home with parents, brothers and sisters. She had a family that loved her deeply, and now she has an eternal home and is not limited by the pain she faced in this lifetime. 
Christian is 5 years old. He has significant autism, and his parent’s came to Daryl with desperation because they did not know how to care for him. They wanted the best for him, and surrendered him to the courts to come life in our home. He lived with us for a year as we learned about how to best care for him since each child with autism is unique. After a year, we taught the family how to take care of him, and how to handle some of the difficulties with his autism. In March, he returned to his family. His mother sent us a photo a while ago and he looks to be content and well loved. It was a joy to have him in the home.
Micah too has gone to be with Jesus. He was 2 months old, and had severe special needs. He had anencephaly and hydrocephalus. Basically, the top of his skull never formed, and fluid kept accumulating in his brain. Without a skull, he developed two enormous fluid filled lobes above his head. He also had severe cleft lip/cleft palate. He was the most previous thing I have ever held in my arms. He was so fragile that we had to hold him on a pillow at all times. We only had him to love for 8 days, but Micah was loved across the world. I loved the way his breath would pick up when I touched his face. He struggled a lot during his short life, and would often stop breathing for an eternity while we too held our breaths until he struggled and sucked in yet another breath. A few times we thought he was leaving us. After one such time, we gathered and sang worship songs to him as a family. About 30 minutes after this, he stopped breathing for the last time. He was carried and sung home to Jesus. God blessed us beyond belief by lending us this treasure. I had never known such a love. What a most precious child.
These are my kids! I love and cherish each of them dearly. When I am away, I think of them and I miss them. When I visit the families in the villages, I see my kids in theirs. Oh, I get tired, I get worn down physically and emotionally, but there is no place I would rather be. These kids are my life, and this family is very strange and very beautiful.
God has blessed my so very much that this is the life He has given me. This is the best job in the world!
