Maria's facing a difficult week of farewels

It's only Tuesday but I know how hard this week will be. Yesterday, i realized that feeding a baby is nearly impossible. At Maitland, I've helped feed toddlers but nothing compared to my baby love at Heaven's Nest. For some reason, she did not want to eat. Not that I blame her cause her food was an interesting smelling purée. The other kids thought I was feeding her yogurt and peanut butter. It was pretty funny how uninterested she was in all my airplane and silly attempts. However, it was even funnier how much more food ended up all over herself and myself rather than in her tummy. I should probably work on my feeding skills in the near future.

It's crazy to think how far I've come in my three and half months. It's even crazier to think how far everyone else has. I've seen countless kids finish traction, throw away their plasters and walk again. My ten month old baby nugget will now put pressure on her feet and walk when she's close to the ground. When she first arrived a first weeks, I was concerned about her developmental delays. Yesterday, I was so proud that I felt okay to leave her despite how much I want to adopt her as my own. On Wednesday, I couldn't help but become sad when I said goodbye to the French physios. Their departure made everything so real. On Friday, I had to say goodbye to one of my closest friends at Maitland. I've watched her struggle through traction, plasters, physio, pain and everything else. Every week, she joked about going back to Port Elizabeth so I couldn't believe she was actually leaving. When she recognized my sadness, she explained how she was going to miss all her friends but how much she missed her family. For the longest time, I never had a problem with goodbyes until recently. I hope when she's saving lives as a doctor one day, she'll remember my dancing moves and anatomy lessons. Although I was sad to see her go, I'm glad I had a little preview of this week. If Es can bid her goodbyes without tears, can't I?

Today provided otherwise. Last week, i told my tiny humans I would be leaving this week. This morning, one of my fan club members wouldn't let go me. She kept saying how much she loved and missed me. When all the other girls heard, they joined in. At one point, I was taken down by two girls who weren't walking when I arrived. I'm so proud of how much progress they have made. They all laughed when they saw my tears. Two girls were pulling at me, fighting over whose mommy I was. It's crazy to think I've seen these lovely ladies more than their parents. It breaks my heart to have to leave them but they'll all leave Maitland for home eventually.