Current Child Count

  • HOGAR DE AMOR I: 11 babies
  • HOGAR DE AMOR II: 6 boys
  • HOGAR DE AMOR III: 8 girls

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

one of the newest...

We have been flooded with new babies this year!!

{some of our current crew of babies}


Whereas in 2010, the arrival of the triplets was all we had for the first seven months of the year, we've already received EIGHT this year! How I love being able to say YES when we get the calls. :) This due to the other amazing statistic of FOURTEEN adoptions last year, by far a record for Casa de Amor, and the re-opening of Casa de Amor III.

This handsome little guy is one of 3 March arrivals: His arrival story is unique to the others. I've known his young family since late last year through my street work. I actually met his mother and 1 1/2 year old sister at the crime police station as his father was being sent to jail. As I helped them weed through the paperwork and implications of what was happening to their family, I fell in love with baby M's witty mother (and adorable sister), often joking that she was my assistant on the street. For the past few months she has been back at home with M's sister and we just meet up to visit L in jail once or twice a week. Long story short, baby M has been living with relatives in another part of the country since he was 3 or 4 weeks old. When they dumped him back rather unceremoniously with his mother the evening of March 10, now 5 months old, he was in a terrible state. He was being fed watered-down powdered milk and had a bad cough, diarrhea, fever, tight distended stomach, and almost 3rd degree malnutrition...and screamed non-stop. (Now the pediatrician has detected a concerning heart murmur and has requested tests.) The very next day I went to government offices to get approval to bring him home temporarily, until his dad is out of jail (possibly this month) and the family is functioning again. Just now I realized that I've taken pictures of him three Fridays in a row - what a transformation!!
March 11, 2011 - Arrival day! A few minutes later a tia christened him with his name. He has not been named as they are waiting for his dad to get out before deciding. (But the parents like the name we chose.)

March 18...looking better!



March 25 - sweet, happy baby boy who rarely cries now


More pictures to come of the other new arrivals, and I think I still owe the triplet birthday party picture post.... :)