Baby Steps of Progress for Valentine

Let me introduce you to Valentine or Valik for short. He came to the hospital about 3 months ago and captured the hearts of the team. He was so tiny and small that we couldn’t believe that he was really 4 months old because he weighed only 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds). He cried a pitiful soft cry and would wiggle all the time except when he was sleeping which wasn’t often. We suspected that he was very hungry and couldn’t settle down because he was fed very little with a long time between feedings. Whenever we held him he would become agitated unless we were rocking or swinging him. I gave him a new nickname “Squiggly Worm”. Yet he captured our hearts and became a special little guy to several of the team members.

Recently I started to bring some Johnson’s pink baby cream to the hospital to put on the babies who had dry skin. The children enjoy a massage and this cream helps them smell nice. I tried it on Valik and he loved it! He smiles and coos when I am rubbing lotion on his feet or arms. He especially loves it when I rub his face and head, cooing and smiling even more. As soon as I lay him on the changing table and take off his jammies he gets excited because he knows what is coming. Human touch! Comfort! Gentleness! The transformation that takes place during these 20 minutes is amazing. God is teaching me the power of gentleness in the lives of these children who are starving for love. Pray that Valik would continue to grow and get healthier each day.