Oct 9th—Meet David

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I would like everyone to meet David. At 14 weeks David is the youngest at the Cradle of Love Baby Home. He came here at three weeks on July 17th and weighed only 6 pounds. I weighed him Monday and he now weighs only 7 pounds 2 ½ ounces. He is a relatively quiet baby when compared to some of the others. He sleeps quite a lot. He also always seems to have a furrowed brow that makes him look like a miniature old man.

When he first arrived I was told that he didn’t eat much and what he did eat he didn’t keep down. The nannies and volunteers would try to give him formula and he would only take a few ounces and spit it up. The nannies are now trying to feed him cereal which I’ve seen him eat some but very little. I’ve taken David under my wing for now. He is a sweet baby and his furrowed brow seems to disappear as I hold him longer. On Monday I was asked to put together some fans for the new volunteer apartment and I kept David with me in a bouncy seat. I talked with him while I was putting the fans together and held him before and after. I have decided to give him smaller bottles with a higher frequency while I am there throughout the day. I’ve gotten him to keep three to four ounces down by burping him a few times throughout each feeding. Yesterday he even smiled at me! I am going to weigh him each week and setting a goal of getting him to 10 pounds. It’s hard to believe how small he is…Olivia was just under nine pounds when she was born…and I was just under ten. I don’t know David’s history or what his birth weight was. If he was premature, his current weight would make some sense but he isn’t gaining the weight you would expect. I will weigh him each Monday and let you all know how he is progressing. -Tom

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Photos

Tom and David
Tom and David

Comments

[Elizabeth Skinner]

Unbelievable Ministry, Unbelievable Faith
We believers are still often in awe of the faith and ministry of others. I will pray for David. Thank you Tom, Anne and Olivia. You are doing all that God has called you to do and more. I hope to follow in your footsteps one day. Your work is so different than the work we did in Puerto Rico and it was so long ago. I feel the urge to stop the maddness here and join you however I must wait until I figure things out. I can not wait to see you all once you are back home. God speed.

[KellerWolfs]

Thank You
Elizabeth, Thank you for your all of your comments to our website. I always enjoy reading what you write. I hope you find for yourselves an opportunity to serve again. I can hear that restless stirring which precedes it for those of us who listen. The video Tom did of the children singing to Alex was as much a gift for me as it was for Alex. Tom is so creative and thoughtful. We got a 4 week old baby named Laurence yesterday. He is a beautiful and healthy baby. Mom is HIV + and is not to breast feed, and of course she cannot afford formula. It was so sad for me to see her come in and hand over her baby. How does one cope with that, her name is Lillian. Breaks your heart. Anne

[ginny schuster]

Hi all, Just wanted you to know that every few days Margaret and I are following along on your adventures. Hope David will start putting on some weight soon and that Lillian will also thrive. I'm sure when it comes time for you to go, it will be very hard to leave all these little ones behind. We keep you and your work in our prayers. Love, Ginny

[KellerWolfs]

Update on David
I weighed him yesterday and he put on almost a pound. He weighed in at 8lbs 1.5 ounces!