Ange's girls

I have been buddies with little Edeline, Milouse and Josiane since my first trip to Haiti when I met them and their adoptive mom, Ange. They were especially excited to see me on this visit and spent a lot of time with the other girls in my room. They are such a joy to be around, so affectionate and goofy, and understanding of my limits. When I tell them that I need to go out for a little while, but I'll be back, they are sad, but they don't complain. When I tell them that I am all out of balloons, they don't ask me again. And when I am about to leave for America, they tell me that they are going to miss me and will I please come back soon. They always ask for news of their mom and want to know when she is going to come see them.

Opening the Christmas present my team brought for them

Using the painting treasures from the gift

Edeline, the oldest of the threesome, got moved up to the big girls' room earlier in December but only for a few nights. Then they sent her back to the preschooler/kindergarten room presumably because a bed opened up. She is the unspoken leader of the NLL kids and the one I always ask for help when I need to find one of them.

Josiane is the quietest of them and the one that I saw the least. I think she plays more with the younger girls and less with her sisters.

Milouse is the most gentle and affectionate of Ange's girls. She was always reaching up to hug me and give me a kiss on the cheek. She has lost her 2 front teeth since I last saw her in September and she looks so cute.

Like I said, they're rather goofy!

On Friday, I woke up very early feeling nauseous and with a bad cold. I spent most of the morning just hanging out in my room talking with Nikki. I pulled myself for a short English class with the older boys, and then I retired to my room to rest. Some of the kids were playing in there quietly, so I let them stay while I dozed in my bed. For a while, Bernadin sat beside me, keeping the kids from bothering me and when he left, Edeline and Milouse took his spot. They came crawling up onto the bed and asked what was wrong. "I have a cold, and my head hurts." "Do you have a fever?" "I don't know." Edeline immediately grabbed my hand and pressed it to her cheek while Milouse felt my neck with both hands. "Yes," they said together, "You have a fever. What else is wrong?" "My stomach hurts." They lifted up my shirt and started prodding my abdomen. "It doesn't feel bad. You're going to be OK." Then they curled up in bed with me, Milouse on my right and Edeline on my left, and fell asleep.