Todder Romanian

I speak toddler Romanian.  Talking to nurses and aides at the hospital is a bit more difficult.  It's is more charades than talking.  They are really good and we have managed to have some brief exchanges of information.  But my toddler Romanian is solid.  It is a short list, but very effective.  Buna - Hello; Buna Dimineata - Good Morning; Buna Zuia - Good Afternoon;  Buna Seara - Good Evening;  Bine - Good; Da - Yes; Nu - No;  No Lovi - Don't hit;  Mui, mui - Nice, nice (spoken often after No Lovi),  Te Rogue - please; Bravo - Good Boy/Girl (used all the time for everything);  frumos - beautiful;  Sos - Up;  Jos - Down; Al la mesa - to the table (for breakfast, lunch and dinner); Hai eeche - Come here; Hum, hum - Dog (similar to woff, woff); Calu - Horse; La Machina - machine (used for cars, trucks, etc); Pa - Bye;  La Revedere - Bye (formal)  I can also count from 1-10, which I learned from the preschool teacher - repeating along with the children.  I also picked up the animals and up/down when the aides were teaching the children.  I try to be a good student!  There is also the some words that transend language - Uh oh and ca-ca (for anything dirty).  The todder's personalities are really starting to shine through.  

This sweetheart is Gabriela.  In this picture she is practicing standing on her feet with her weight on the entire foot and is quite proud of herself.  When we arrived last week she would only stand on her toes.  Mel, who is an occupational therapist, has been working with her and she is now walking on her whole foot and is only holding on to one hand.  Mel is determined to have her walking by the end of the week.  Gabi has a twin sister, Miheala, who recently retuned home to their parents.  Miheala is a thriving little girl who overcame her mal nutrition and is on par developmentally.  Gabi, however is a little behind.  She also has an issue with her eyes, but is going to the doctor this week to see if it can be repaired by surgery.  As a result of her eyes and possibly a mild case of autism, she explores her world ever so gently by smelling and feeling objects with her lips.  She has a wonderfully sweet personality and loves to cuddle with her head on your shoulder.  She has a fantastic appetite and has the record for the fastest bottle in the west.

This dancing queen is Daniela.  She is fiercely independent and holds her own with the other children in the toddler room who are all bigger than her (except for Alina).  She has been diagnosed with Turner's syndrome, which means she will always be small and probably won't be able to have children.  She is a generally happy girl and has staked  a claim on my lap.  She will run from across the room to defend her territory. 

A few updates - I got Alina on the scale and she weights 14 lbs, a tiny size for a 3 year old, but Jane says that she was only 11 lbs when she was here in July.  And Anna Maria is now out of isolation and allowed  in the babies playroom.  Hopefully the additional stimulation will continue to help her development.