Update on Berto

Berto has been with us for just over two weeks now and has come along remarkably!! Pat and Melinda were gone for the first week or so that he was here, and so it was fun (and tiring) to be a very involved part of helping him get back on his feet! He spent the first few days being tube fed every four hours, and after a few das graduated to eating cereal and still receiving liquids via the tube. He started to eat really well and also started to interact a lot. He would respond to you calling his name with a little coo, and then would "talk" back and forth for a while if you took the time. He started smiling a lot, when he wasn't mad as he realized that when he cried, he would get food! It was amazing, and sometimes frusterating, to see how his character changed once he gained some strength and realized there was food on demand(well, within a schedule of course!) I was very tired after getting up a few times each night to feed him and settle him back down, and was so happy when he started sleeping through the night. Pat and Melinda came back and took back over caring for him, and he has continued to do well. Pat says he's been eating like a horse, and we've had him drinking from a pliable rubber nipple sippy cup, though he can be really stubborn to get to drink due to his high pallet and lack of patience! I'm back spending most of my time downstairs, but still get a few minutes here and there to spend with him. He's really starting to get quite the attitude, which I've learned since being here is common with kids who have suffered from malnutrition, and can get very indignant when he realizes no one is holding him!! He laughed out loud for the first time the other night and it was very precious to hear. We got him dressed up in a new outfit Pat brought home for him and he looked so cute! Thanks for your prayers for him and please continue to pray as we wait and see what his family is going to do regarding leaving him with us or attempting to care for him again after he is completely healthy again. gn="center">

Berto's Arrival Day

His feet and hands were covered in scabies and very infected. He didn't really have even a layer of skin on his feet or hands.

One week after being with us


Berto's feet yesterday

Berto 2 weeks after arriving