Asha Update!

Asha is getting big!! Here she is at 7 weeks old, weighing 5.5lbs!

 She's starting to smile! Sweet girl. =)

 Asha loves her baths, and I love that she fits in the sink like it was made for her!

 All snuggled into her little nest of towels....chilling.

 So relaxing!

 Squeaky clean and snuggled into a warm blanket. I LOVE her hair right after baths - it's all curly on top and sticks straight out on the sides. 

7 weeks old and she is already holding her own bottle! Ha! She's a baby genius. =)

I can't get this photo to flip the right direction, but it's still cute! She's waving bye until next time! =)

Asha still needs sponsors, do you want to sponsor her? Click here! 

For Kim and Megan

 For Megan and Kim - here are some photos of your favorite little guy! Sometimes serious...sometimes not! 

Patrick was fearless on Saturday for the Bouncy Castle event - he climbed right to the top as fast as daddy Peter could help him! After a few slides down, he spent most of the time jumping back and forth in front of the tunnel.

Market!

I have been going to the market about once a week, but only going to one seller who I met through Linda (who gives a fair price instead of the mzungu price!) and mostly only buying bananas and avocados. Now that I moved out of Tumaini and am cooking for myself - I plan to be buying much more than that! There is a huge selection of things to buy and it's much cheaper than the grocery stores. Mety took me last weekend to introduce me to some of her friends and teach me what to buy. =)

 I really like this guy's stand because he almost always has the baby bananas - which are definitely superior to the standard bananas, but much harder to find!

 There are lots of different sizes and colors of beans and lentils, which I have grown to really love since I moved to Kenya but I am not really good at cooking them. (yet!) I bought two kinds of lentils and two kinds of beans. Mety helped me find the cleanest ones, so it takes less time to pick out all the rocks, leaves, peanuts and other randomness mixed in. 

 I always go to this guy's stand! He is super friendly and always tries to get people to buy one of everything! But he has great prices and last time I went, he threw in two tree tomatoes for free! He also was the most excited about me taking a photo of his stand. 

 My spoils! 

Leon

If you haven't seen him yet, this is Leon, an 18 month old boy we adopted from the streets. His mother admitted she could not care for him and gave him to Open Arms. I had seen Leon a few months ago when visiting the street kids at Tumaini drop in center, but when his mother handed him to us at court two weeks ago, I didn't recognize him.

This photo was taken on his first day at Open Arms. He had been very sick for over a month, and he came to us very malnourished, dehydrated, and sad.

Within a few days, Leon was already looking happier and stronger. He started saying "bring it!" in Swahili whenever he saw food. He could sit up unassisted, had a brighter look in his eyes, and even smiled occasionally!

He really loves to hold food in both hands. Even on his first day when he was too sick to eat, he wanted to hold bananas in both hands. 

He is getting stronger every day, and really thriving on the loving care and attention he is getting. He crawls all over the baby home now and he can stand and walk if he is supported. So, so amazing to see him transform!

Open Arms' Littlest New Family Member!

Meet Asha, the littlest member of the Open Arms family! Asha was born prematurely at a hospital in Eldoret and left abandoned by her mother. She spent four weeks in the hospital and then we were called to come and adopt her. None of us knew how small she was, we only knew we were going to pick up a one month old baby! She was a sweet surprise!

 

 The size one diapers are a little bit big...

 We are keeping Asha away from the other babies and children until she gets a little bigger and stronger, so I have been blessed with the role of being "Mama Asha" for a while! Love this job! 

  

She loves to have her hands by her face. 

Almost smiling!

All snuggled in her basket and ready to go to sleep. She is this cute at the 1am, 3am, and 5am feedings too! 

Mety and Asha. =)

 Naptime! 

Will you be my sponsor? Follow this link: http://openarmsinternational.com/sponsor-a-child/