cuddling babies. 12.22.09

While I have never been very fond of infants and toddlers, there is something about Sanyu Babies Home that transforms me into a baby’s number one fan. I have so many wonderful memories with the tiny ones who were at the orphanage when I was here the first time, so I could not wait to go back and visit!

Benon, Beth, and I traveled early in the morning by matatu and boda boda to Sanyu, perched high above Kampala on a steep hill, overlooking the chaos of traffic and activity below. We first passed through the rooms where newborn babies slept soundly. Those babies who come through Sanyu at this age are often discovered in garbage piles or latrines, abandoned by their biological parents. But under the supervision of the Sanyu staff, they are loved and cared for around the clock.

I was most anxious to go back to the classroom of those who are about six to 18 months old, where I had first fell in love with a baby named Elijah. I remembered the teacher when we entered the room and chatted with her for a while. I happily updated her on Elijah, knowing information through my mom who has become acquaintances with his adopted mother in Colorado. Their friendship began through letter and email correspondences, linked by their love for this little boy, and my mom was even able to meet up with the family and meet the tiny boy.

After catching up with the teacher, I dropped my body to the ground, legs stretch out, and two babies immediately discarded their toys and crawled up to me. One clung to the sleeve of my shirt as he balanced himself; the other nestled into the side of my leg.

A very gentle and curious little girl named Hannah approached me with a slow crawl, then stretched out her arms to offer me a yellow ball. I adjusted her tiny pink dress with the stained front so that it was not uncomfortably twisted, and whispered in Luganda that she looked beautiful. For much of the time, I sat with Hannah. Other babies crawled to me and then would move on to investigate a toy or pair of shoes left behind by a barefoot babe. But Hannah stayed with me, content by the simplicity of passing a yellow plastic ball back and forth.

Spending time at Sanyu is always a blessing. The babies are gentle and loving and beautiful; all waiting patiently for a home with a family. Returning almost two years later meant that I would not see the babies whom I had come to love so much. But a baby’s absence at Sanyu represents a warm and welcoming family who has taken her home to grow up with them. When I return again someday, I hope not to find Hannah.