Mother Meghann

There are two words that people have constantly used to describe me since pre-school aged, adorable, blond, ringlet-headed Meghann was toddling around.  They are...mother and leader.  "Mother Meghann" and "you're certainly a leader" are things I've heard more times than I would dare to count.  I think we all have our pre-teen moments when we don't want to be anything someone else thinks we should be...and I had my fair share.  But in each stage of my life...no matter how hard I have tried not to be...I have consistently been a mother to those around me and a leader in the midst of whatever group I'm a part of.  Now, am I saying I have accepted these parts of who I am wholeheartedly...no...but I am saying I am aware of them and that despite my best efforts I cannot stifle them.

Anyway, this post is entitled Mother Meghann because in the last few days alone I have had two VERY motherly experiences in the midst of working with the babies I love as Mana Meghann (or Miss Meghann as I'm called here) or Nurse Meghann.  Sunday morning my dear sweet Cleita was quite sick...fevers, refusing to eat, vomiting...just a sad puppy all around.  Well the tias (the Mozambican woman who take care of our children/my heroes) dressed her in her adorable church dress just to have her vomit up what breakfast they had forced her to eat.  Then after putting her in a new church dress and handing her to me to check her out she proceeded to vomit again all over this one.  I decided that was it...there was no need to try dress number three.  Instead she spent church time with me (no clothes required)...I had medications to prepare, bottles to fill, and other work that had to get done while the kids enjoyed dancing at church!  So Cleita took a nice long nap in the Baby House...and then ended up at my house while I ate breakfast.
All was going well!  She drank some water, was sitting quietly (all the babies are a bit shell-shocked in new locations), and quite content.  She pretended to eat the bread I handed her and actually LOVED my plum that I shared with her.  She happily toddled back to the Baby House when I said it was time for snack with everyone else.  Upon arrival she was handed a snack (much like Cheetos)...and as I went to take her tempurature...that was the end of everything I had just gotten inside of her...so much for her liking plums?!  Anyway, the point is not that moms deal with vomit.  The point is that being able to take her to my house and love on her the way a mom would is exactly what I live for here!

Fast forward 2 days...and imagine the entire Baby House in their swim suits ready for their first trip to the beach.  The last time they went was almost 5 years ago...so none of the babies who live there now have every been to the beach.  There was EXTREME excitement (insert MAJOR understatement here).  Then I get the call that Alberto has a fever.  Poor little boy had to stay back for the afternoon with Nurse Meghann.  When I got to him he was standing in Tracey's yard balling...he couldn't understand why he didn't feel well and he had been left there while everyone else boarded the bus and took off on an adventure.  Anyway after treating his fever and determining what was really going on I decided a movie with Mother Meghann was the perfect idea.  I mean who wouldn't want to watch Finding Nemo???  It took awhile but I finally got him to take a little nap...what I didn't consider was the bed wetting issue...oops!!!  A load of laundry later no one would know that my little friend wet our couch.  But I do have to admit I felt a lot like Mother Meghann as he slowly climbed into my lap to snuggle in to watch the movie and then woke up distraught not sure where he was and upset because he was quite wet.
These are the moments I live for here.  Everyone asks me if I like being a nurse...most days I do.  But, other days I wish I had the time to actually mother each one.  When you have close to 50 (well 37 in the Baby House, 8 in the Bercario, and 9 in Tracey's dorm...that makes 54 in total) little ones who constantly need your attention it is hard and most days I end up using my nursing skills to prioritize who really needs me instead of getting to hand feed a sick baby her snack or curl up and watch a movie with a sad little boy.  But, nonetheless I'll always be Mother Meghann in the midst!