Day 2 Derrick Visits

Up bright and early (ok, not so bright and early, but met Toni and company for breakfast at 9:15am) and off for day 2 of visiting Derrick. We took him outside and walked around for a bit, then it started getting hot, so we came in and I got to feed him lunch. It is such a pleasure working with this group of people, from our wonderful facilitator/translator, to this caring orphanage. They really want to make sure we get to see and do as much as we can with him.

We did give him some chocolate pudding while outside (they said we could bring snack for him). He tends to bite the spoon rather than use his lips to remove the food from the spoon. But, our fantastic OT has taught me well, and a couple of bites later, with some firm pressure on his tongue and waiting for lips to close, he was doing better. We gave him about 1/3 of the pudding cup, not wanting to give him too much, since it is chocolate, pudding (sweets), and in the heat. He would have eaten the entire cup, I am sure.

Lunch went well. They showed me how they feed him, and I fed him his entire lunch. He didn’t drink his slightly thickened broth, and I think he has trouble with liquids. The thicker “stew” went very well. I don’t see him swallowing, though, and that concerns me. Any OT’s or ST’s out there with any suggestions?

Derrick’s nap time….sounded good. We came back to the hotel, Jim attempted to do some work, but his radio equipment is not working right. I walked to the shopping area to pick up lunch fixins’.  We ate, he gave up on his work, and we decided to nap as well. Quite refreshing.

The afternoon visit was back in the large play room.  While looking for lunch items for us, I found some babyfood something that looked like a cross between pudding and youghurt, fruit flavored. I got some to take as snacks for him. When I got back to the room and really looked, each 100gm container has 430 calories! Talk about packing a punch.  I took one with us, and he gobbled it up. Toni says it is made with formula.  Our plan is to ask if we provide it, will they supplement his diet with one per day. Adding 430 calories per day to his intake should help get some weight on him!

Each visit he gets more and more comfortable with us. He loves the playroom. He can be down on the floor, and come to us or turn away as needed.  He scooted over to me a couple of times and put his arms out to be picked up. He cuddled in a couple of times while I was carrying him, and touched me very gently, purposely, a few times. With Jim, he was giving great eye contact, and requesting foot and head rubs.

Again, go to Jim’s blog (www.apapasstory.blogspot.com) for photos.

After our visit, we went to the train station to buy our tickets to Shumen, to visit Jacob/Henry’s grave. Toni cannot accompany us there, which is fine.  After our Friday morning visit, she will head back to Sofia, and we will go to Shumen, then train on to Sofia to meet her and go onto “Matt’s” city.

Dinner on the beach, again. Boy, this will be hard to leave! We eat in the same restaurant every night, because the food is great, the company is great, and the view is GREAT.  I’m not a “beach person”, but I LOVE having dinner on the beach.

Until tomorrow……

Mary