” A young man is walking along the ocean
and sees a beach on which thousands of
starfish have washed ashore.
Further along, he sees an old man…
Walking slowly and picking up one starfish after another,
Tossing each one gently into the ocean.
‘Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?’ he asks.
‘Because the sun is up and the tide is going out.
If I don’t throw them further in…they will die.’
‘But old man, don’t you realize there are miles of beach and starfish?
You can’t possibly save them all,
You can’t even save one tenth of them.
Even if you work all day, your effort won’t make any difference at all.’
The old man listened calmly and then bent down to pick up another starfish.
He threw it into the sea.
‘It made a difference to that one.'”

– Author unknown
(A poem from the Door of Hope)
Shawndell and I were discussing the best possible way to capture glimpses of this month to share as stories on our blogs while still respecting and preserving the necessity for anonymity of our kiddos and their stories. We all know that children, even babies say and do “the darndest things”. In fact, after spending less than one day with them, we had already appointed nicknames and dialogued about their personalities and the basic character roles they play in our group. Our plan is to share stories we experience living with and loving these babies.
We invite you to join us in this dazzling tale of…



THE STARFISH CHRONICLES
(starring)
The PRINCESS: commonly found getting into something she shouldn’t be like the refrigerator or garbage can. She’s a leader and invites others to come along on her escapades. She loves to waltz around in her little dresses and pink attire. She loves getting her hair did and having special attention. She’s a big sister to the other kiddos and loves ordering them around so they will ‘listen’ or ‘sit’. She walks around proud of her big belly and her smile is one of a kind.
Little GRANNY: commonly found kissing another baby on the forehead, smiling at you across the room, or helping aunties around the center. She’s the gentle, the sweet, the heart-capturer. When she smiles her eyes squint so small, they’re hardly there. One tooth on the bottom and two on the top, she looks and acts as though she’s 80. Always there to hug and kiss someone who bumps their head – her high-pitched voice mimics the cutest phrases. “I love you” she says to the other babies, calling their names and looking right in their faces. They adore her.

The PROFESSOR: commonly found climbing out of his high-chair or escaping through a small hole in the gated door. He’s also known as “monkey” or “little man”. His nearly toothless smile is enough to make you laugh out loud and swoop him up for a big hug. Observing the actions, sounds, and movements of others, he is quick to imitate and respond accordingly. His particular favorite is making “motor-boat mmmmbbmmppmmm” noises with his lips. He’s our mischevious little one who loves to climb and cuddle up in your lap. He’s currently learning how to walk…we predict he’ll be running before long.
TINY: commonly found sucking or teething on something, anything really. She’s the smallest bundle of energy, is always hungry, and eats more than some of our big boys. She does a happy dance while eating – which often leads to her getting more on her face and body than in her mouth. She’s our bounciest one – a squiggle-worm by trade – which makes changing her nappy a slight challenge. (For those of you not versed in baby lingo, specifically South African baby lingo, a nappy is a diaper.) We can imagine she’ll walk soon. She’s our determined one.
GIGGLE BOX: commonly found flailing his toys, smiling, and lounging on some blankets. He laughs from the deepest part of his belly. When he chuckles his entire body shakes, his fists clench together and he shudders from head to toe. He loves music and singing – and he may or may not have a small crush on Auntie Christy. He lights up whenever he hears her voice.
SNOT-ROCKET: also known as “PUNK”. He’s our resident troublemaker – commonly found in his second home, time-out. He’s a bright one, but his jealousy gets the best of him. He’s already staked his claim on Auntie Shawndell’s lap. Any baby daring to trespass faces his wrath, which invariably lands him a front row seat in time-out. We’re beginning to think he might as well purchase a time-share. His nose runs incessantly and let’s just say, he’s a big fan of sharing.
BIG SIS: we also like to call her VICTORY. She’s commonly found pretending to swim or cuddling with a homemade quilt. She’s always dressed to the nines with every girl’s favorite colors, pink n’ purple. As the respected big sis, she has her own special chair – a bright green bean bag. The other little rascals love climbing all over it w/her. She loves lullabies, especially worship ones. Bath time is a favorite of hers. She’s a bottle-drinking champ. She’s full of life.
CHUNKY-MONKEY: commonly found playing with some random toy, happy as a cucumber. He’s full of spunk, full of joy, and full of life. Pounding the ground and chanting loud unintelligible words and phrases with great passion he’s a warrior in training. He’s also a drooler, I suppose he’ll have to work on that one before he thinks about getting recruited. Our resident story-teller, he’s quite the chatterbox, and after naptime, always babbles about his dreams (or that’s what we tell ourselves). His words are not fully distinguishable just yet, but that’s just a minor detail – his confidence canvases over it well. He’s our chubby little smiley boy. Rugby coaches watch out – when he can run…he’ll be a respectable force to reckon with.
DRAMA KING: commonly found playing “London bridge” with your legs. He sheds an awful lot of crocodile tears and whining is a frequent hobby. Fortunately for him, his smile lights up a room. He loves to cuddle and be held. One on one attention is a necessity for this guy, but just don’t spoil him…it’ll come back to bite you, we promise. He’s a joy and a terror when he wants to be, but you can’t help but love him!
…these are our STARFISH…don’t you just love em’ already!?!?
