Obviously, it takes a system. The need for this system becomes obvious when the mood in the room starts to shift, apparently cranky pants are contagious! Once the crying begins it is time for the attendants to move into action.
1. Lay out two blankets- one for those children who can feed themselves, and one for the children are just learning.
2. Sit the kids around the periphery of the blanket, facing in.
After watching these kids heading in every direction, after toys, laps, and anything else that catches their fancy, it is hard to believe that they will stay seated on a blanket, but they know what's coming!
In comes a tray of bowls of nshima, ground corn and other nutrients. The bowls are put out in front of them and they go to town. They scooped out the food with their hands. Even the children that had to be fed were fed by hand. No silverware......no problem.....
Meanwhile upstairs
We moved upstairs to rock the babies, when the same mood change occurred, this time, each child was picked up and changed, and then handed off to one of us. after a while we had bottles backed up - some children get more than one, and then children started to get backed up. We each fed at least 3 kids......
Next the people of the House of Moses had to feed us.....and they feed us they did!
What an incredible journey.
ReplyDeleteThinking of you!