Mariah Jones and Linda Burchheart Volunteer at the Siping Center

This summer we were given a chance to come to the Siping Center and interact with children who have definitely changed us. It has been such a wonderful and great experience. It has shown both of us how challenging yet wonderful these children are. We both are very much in awe of how hard the nannies work in providing so much love and care for all nine children. Their work is a constant 24/7 job and our time here has given us a slight taste of how hard they work. Each child we’ve worked with has their own special personalities, which makes them all unique in their own way making each day full of new surprises. We know how each individual interacts with their "brother" or "sister" and what can trigger a child to break into a tantrum or giddy mood.Our daily schedules start with feeding the children breakfast, play, snack, play, lunch, nap time, snack, dinner, baths and then bed time. It’s been a wonderful experience being an older "sister" to the children. It has given us a sense of how it feels to take care of younger children and the responsibilities that comes with it. We will never forget the impact the children, nannies and the numerous other people we’ve met have had on us during our time in Siping. We will constantly think of where the children are and how they’re growing.

Mariah Jones
Linda Burchheart

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1) Yuyong:
Yuyong curiously made his way towards me and started speaking english, well as much as he could - which consisted of 'hello' at that time. Now, after almost three weeks of spending time with Yuyong, he has successfuly learnt, in english, to count up to five and even a few names of fruits and vegetables. Another one of Yuyong's memorable personality traits is his ability to do tasks independently and also entertain himself, as well as, the other children around him. He loves helping and supporting the nannies throughout the day, ranging from tidying the toys or playing the role of a beloved 'tattle-taler'. Yuyong also love being around the babies. (His parents will be coming to China in August to bring him home.)

2) Zhangyu:
This is definitley a boy to remember. Not just because of his charismatic personality, but also because of the frequency one has to shout his name. It seems as if this kid has already established a theory, that he often enjoys to practice - 'test the boundries'. This theory has not become very favourable amongst the nannies and us, as it gives us the job of constantley reminding this young little boy that 'testing the boundries' usually ends in a session of 'time-out'. Yet, no one can seem to stay mad or upset with Zhangyu for more than a few minutes, as he has the remarkable ability to make anyone laugh and to lighten the mood. Whether it may be with his popular phrase of 'bye bye', accompanied by an adorable wave, or the recurring pat on his belly after finishing a meal. Since after all, Zhangyu is an excellent eater and often achieves eating by himself without the help of others. One of the biggest improvements I've seen in Zhangyu is his ability to walk. Just about 6 weeks ago he couldn't walk on his own. With help from an adult he could stand and walk for a short period of time, but just this last week, Zhangyu has been able to walk entirely on his own. It's been a great sight to watch and his walking continues to improve each day. It's truely amazing to watch.

3) Lili:
Unfortunatley Lili has one of the more evident disabilities at this Center, but nevertheless her admiring personality traits still become noticeable to anyone who visits. She is great to be around, as she has a very easy-going and relaxed manner - creating a calm atmosphere. Her curiousity is also extremley remarkable, since she always tends to move to the areas that are filled with people or where all the action is happening – never wanting to miss out on anything. Lili also loves to be around people, simply looking into the faces or holding someone's hand. Lili will always respond to her name. Clapping your hands and telling Lili to come over to you she will eagerly and willing roll over  into your arms with a bright smile. It’s been a challenge trying to work with Lili and her walking. Her legs are strong for rolling and kicking, but she still struggles to walk with lots of help.

4) Lijie
Lijie is a very cute girl with a stunning smile. She has a sweet laughter when she smiles at you with happiness. The first week I was not aware of her crying issue with being left alone after being held or embraced. If she’s held for a long period of time, she will be dependant on that nurturing care and start to cry until someone holds her again. It’s best to hold her for short periods of time or to rest her up in a sitting position. Before going to bed or waking up, Lijie cries an excessive amout to be heard. My first thoughts about Lijie were her eyes. She has beautiful bright eyes wih long lashes and the smile she offers compeletes her personality.

5) Xie Rui
Xie Rui is one to capture every visitors heart. He loves to be held and if he doesn't get entertained by a toy or a person, he will break into a long cry until he gets what he wants. He is a boy who loves his food and is an adorable toddler. He is becoming more and more curious as he is starting to perfect his walking. The first week of being here, Xie Rui could barely take a few steps on his own and now he can walk ten times more than he could weeks ago. One of the things that always makes Xie Rui happy is playing the chasing crawling game with him. It’s great exercise for us and a great way to make Xie Rui happy. Feeding him can be a challenge, because he loves to crawl and run away. Xie Rui also has his first set of front teeth coming in, which is why he loves chewing on things…even fingures when being fed!

6) Liang Liang
Liang Liang is a very special boy who can brighten your day with his million dollar smile. Getting him to smile is simple. Simple things such as opening the window to let the breez blow in his face or give him his wash rag he loves to chew on can spark his excitement. Liang Liang is by far one of the independent boy in entertaining himself. He plays best if he is by himself and doesn’t have to share his toys with anyone. At times he can be a little bully in taking away the other children’s toys. But he is very willing to back off if it’s given back to the rightful child. Since day one, we’ve noticed that he depends a lot on his cloth rag for comfort. It seems to calm him if he cries or doesn't get his way. He also loves toys that make noises and likes to rock back and forth to the sound of them. For a boy who has eye problems we think he does remarkably well for finding toys or going where his name is being called.

We also had the chance to see three babies grow slowly. Two of which are boys and one girl.  Like any typical baby, they love their sleep and are very curious of what’s going around them. All three children are very healthy looking and love their bottles. You can also see that their baby teeth are starting to show slightly. They all are very healthy and are beginning to toss and turn on their own. All the babies love to be interacted with. It will be fun to see how these three babies will grow into toddlers.