Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Volunteering





I ended up taking a couple weeks off of volunteering due to picking to free up my Monday cause I thought I had plans with my friend but turned out that her birthday plans fell through so that left me free to spend the few hours with Izzy.

I had signed up to volunteer the day after Thanksgiving but they didn't have kids so no one was working. The next Monday I wasn't feeling so well so my well intended plans to call them and come in didn't happen.

I did call later in the week and choose hours for the past Monday. I only signed up for 2 hours due to time seeming a problem for me.

There were two girls there when I arrived and they are sisters. I got to hold a baby and she slept in my arms. It's so sweet. When the Mom came to pick the kids up she carried the baby on her back and tied a blanket around herself. They said that's how African Mom's tend to carry their children. She didn't say Afrian American or Black but just African and the person who said it was black so not sure if there is a difference. Sorry if this sounds like I am ignorant or putting too much focus on race. I thought it was pretty cool.

After the children left with their Mom I was given the choice of cleaning up the mess from lunch or putting diapers and food away. I chose to put the diapers away due to it being a lot of stair climbing and could use the exersice.

I took a partial picture of the attic. Have you ever seen so many diapers? They use them for the babies but also help families out when they have a need. Up in the attic they had lot of supplies including gifts that they give for holidays and birthdays.

The other two pictures are rooms that I just took a quick shot of. I love this whole set up of this house and know I can't take pictures of kids so I thought part of the house would be second best.

The two bedrooms are upstairs. One is an infant room and the other is a toddler room or big kid room. They take kids up until they're 7th birthday. The bedrooms don't get used much. Basically only for overnights. I guess accourding to heatlh department rules if a child so much as sits on a bed they have to change all the sheets and bedding.

2 comments:

Leah said...

Those are a lot of diapers! Wow! My guess is she meant Africa, as in the continent, although I'm sure that practice has come over here as well. When I was in Ethiopia, that's how all the mom's would carry their babies. I bought a huge wrap so I could carry Nur that way, and even had them show me how to tie it. Problem is, once I got home, I forgot! Ha. :)

birthmothertalks said...

Thanks Leah, for the little bit of education on the Afrian culture difference. IT Makes since to carry the babies like that especially if the Mom's have to work or walk with the little ones. Makes all of american Mom's seem spoiled with all or gagdets. I believe she used two blankets to do it.